A New Definition of Family
by RahNee
Summary: A new person comes into Harry's life, one who has ties to his parents, and to his enemies. The story starts in the summer after 3rd year and becomes AU, but closely parallels GoF, at that point. Pairings: SBOC, a smattering of HPHG, RLNT, VKHG
1. Upward Bound

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 1: Upward Bound**

**Disclaimer: Well, I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters. Big surprise, I know. Any characters and spells you see here that you don't find in her books, well, they are my babies.**

Harry lay on his back and tried not to move in the oppressive summer heat. His movements were languid and his thoughts followed suit. He had had three weeks to contemplate the amazing things that had happened in those last few days of the end of the term. Third year had been quite eventful, but there were only so many times one could mull over the events before they became, well, rather mundane. Briefly he wondered when his friends would contact him…he'd not heard the littlest peep from anyone in the wizarding community. The thought joined others that swirled endlessly in a slow circle like water trying to drain down a clogged pipe…he tried to get worked up about it, but failed miserably as his mind followed the example of his body and lolled about lazily. Harry might have felt less stifled in his room at #4 Privet Drive had the window not been nailed shut.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Harry turned his head slightly to hear as his uncle opened the front door.

"BOY!" growled Uncle Vernon, "Get down here!"

Slightly faster than a lizard in torpor, Harry swung out of bed and made his way downstairs. Standing in the hallway was a plain looking woman with brown hair in a business suit. Vernon had a frown on his face. There appeared to be a confrontation of some sort going on. _This cannot_ _be good, _thought Harry.

"Mr. Dursley, I can assure you that the Upward Bound UK program is not considered soft on troubled boys. I'm disappointed that you don't seem to have the confidence in the program that your letter to us implied," the strange woman said.

"I was under the impression that the program was run by ex-military types, not mere slips of girls like you..."

The woman plastered on a fake smile, "I assure you, sir, that I am a counselor trained in the rehabilitation of teenagers with personality disorders, and that I am quite capable of handling your nephew's situation." When she saw that Vernon was not convinced she added, "I am ex-Green Beret."

Vernon brightened a little. Harry finally shook off the paralyzing shock long enough to say "Hang on, what is going on here?" Vernon opened his mouth, but the woman interrupted.

"Mr. Potter, your uncle was fortunate enough to secure the last open spot for you in our summer program for delinquent teens. Be advised that this opportunity is a rare one. From what your uncle has reported, you are lucky indeed to be offered this last chance before you end up incarcerated in the juvenile justice system. You have ten minutes to pack your things, and then we are leaving."

Harry gaped as his sluggish mind scrambled to assimilate what he'd just heard. He looked remarkably like a fish that had found itself in the desert.

"Wait, Miss…" Vernon started.

"Levy," she supplied.

"Miss Levy, is it possible to arrange for you to take the boy to catch his train to his boarding school? When the program is over, I mean?"

Miss Levy paused to contemplate this. "Which school? What train station? What day?"

"St. Brutus' Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys. Kings Cross Station, 1st of September."

"Well, the program ends on the 31st of August, but yes, yes I think I will be able to arrange it."

"Splendid!" Dursley beamed, thinking that Petunia would be pleased that he had rid them of that horrid boy for the rest of the year.

Miss Levy turned to Harry. "Shouldn't you be packing?"

Harry sputtered and turned an even darker shade of red with anger. His mind had by now slipped out of its muddled haze, and his body decided to follow the example. He turned to his uncle and shouted, "You can't do this!"

Miss Levy proceeded to demonstrate just how competent she was in dealing with recalcitrant teens. She leapt in front of Vernon and faced Harry. She grabbed him by the shoulders, looked him straight in the eye and said, "Mr. Potter, do not make your situation worse! Please do what I say. Now!" He glared at her, but his mouth almost dropped in shock again when he saw her barely wink at him. She gave a slight jerk of her head, indicating the stairs and quirked her left eyebrow.

Harry's mind raced and his heart pounded. _What was going on?_ She wiggled her eyebrows up and down and the corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly before she turned around to Vernon, took his arm, turned him toward the kitchen and said, "Mr. Dursley, there is a bit of paperwork…"

Harry turned and started up the stairs when he saw his cousin on the upstairs landing, smirking for all he was worth. "Didn't see THAT coming, did you, freak?" Dudley chortled.

Harry had the presence of mind to glare at Dudley and stomp a bit as he went to his little room and slammed the door. Hedwig looked up, startled and indignant and almost ruffled her feathers in protest, but the languor that had held the room in its spell was still in effect. She merely glared. She was not happy about being imprisoned in her cage the last three weeks. Harry understood how she felt.

He stood for a moment in the stifling heat, brow creased in thought until his eyes fell upon an envelope on his bed. That had not been there before! It was addressed to

Harry Potter

The Smallest Bedroom

#4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging, Surrey

He turned it over and was surprised to find elegant handwriting:

_Mr. Potter, neither my owl nor I was able to get to you or you would've had warning. I had to wait until I was in the house before I could deliver this to you. Sorry. _

It was signed "Miss Levy" and Harry did not miss the quotation marks around her name.

He tore open the envelope.

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm sure you won't object to a little scheme to get you away from the Dursleys a bit early this summer. On 23 July, one of my associates will be arriving at your home posing as a director for a camp for juvenile delinquents. I am counting on you to play along and make it look believable. _

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry immediately opened his trunk and began packing his belongings. His eyes widened in surprise as each item he put in shrunk down to a tenth of its size! How was she able to do that? She had not been up to his bedroom. He had not seen her with a wand…

A niggling thought finally broke through to the surface; _what if she was an imposter?_ Sure, his window had been nailed shut, but a detail so minor had never stopped Dumbledore from getting a letter to him before. His letter did not specify if his "associate" was a man, or a woman. This woman could have intercepted Dumbledore's letter and used it to her own advantage. Why else would she have to wait till she was in the house to deliver it?

Harry's mind worked furiously. He grabbed a scrap of parchment and scribbled a quick note to the Weasleys. He would play along, and if he found himself in the clutches of one of Voldemort's followers he would just have to make sure he could let Hedwig loose with the letter.

* * *

Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Miss Levy turned at the sound of Harry's trunk _ka-thunk ka-thunk ka-thunking_ down the steps. The trunk was actually pretty light, thanks to the spell on all the contents, but Harry could not help taking out his anger on the Dursleys in a childish, but satisfying, way. For all they knew, they were sending him to some sadistic "tough love" type program for criminals! And by the looks on their faces, they were glad.

Miss Levy gave a little gasp at the sight of Hedwig in her cage. "Uhm…a pet owl? That's a bit unusual! I'm afraid the pet will have to stay here."

"NO!" shouted Harry, Vernon and Petunia in unison.

Miss Levy huffed out an impatient sigh and said, "Alright. I'll see what I can do." She pulled a cell phone out of her briefcase, flipped it open and began dialing as she strode out the front door to the stoop. "Reception." She stated over her shoulder as the door closed. Three people stood frozen as they listened to her muffled conversation. She swung the door open and entered. "They will agree to board the bird on the condition that we can use it in our animal therapy program for the more mentally disturbed boys." It seemed to Harry that her eyes sparkled just a bit with amusement as she looked at him.

"Done!" snapped Petunia, eager to get her nephew, his owl and his trunk out of her home.

"What!" Harry cried, playing his part, "they can't subject Hedwig to insane boys!"

"BOY!" growled Vernon in warning. Harry shut his mouth. He wanted to get himself, his owl and his trunk out of this home just as badly.

"Well then," Miss Levy said brightly, "you have all the contact numbers with the paperwork. We will make sure the boy gets to his train. He is packed and it looks like everything is in order. We'll just be on our way then."

She paused to let the family say their good-byes. No one said a word. Suddenly, Dudley came stomping down the stairs and sneered, "Hope you have a grueling summer, freak!"

Miss Levy appeared a bit taken aback, but recovered her composure and announced firmly, "He will have a _character building_ summer. I assure you, Mr. Dursley, you will be quite satisfied with our program."

"I will be quite satisfied if you would just get this miscreant out of my house."

"Yes, uh, well then, uh, come along Mr. Potter!" She turned and walked purposely out the door with Harry in tow.

As Harry stowed the trunk in the boot of a rather old and worn car, the Dursleys lined up happily on the front stoop. Harry got himself and Hedwig in the back seat, and he turned to glare at his family as Miss Levy drove off. Petunia hugged Vernon while Dudley pumped his arm up and down several times in the air. Harry slumped down in the seat, disgruntled and dejected.

* * *

"Well, they really are a sodding lot, aren't they?" Miss Levy stated, her voice tight with anger. Harry grunted. "Give me a minute or two to get us out of the neighborhood and we'll get this sorted out, right?" she asked as she glanced at Harry in the rearview mirror.

"Yeah," he quietly replied.

She swung into the car park of a shopping center and circled around the back, stopping the car when it was out of sight of the public. "_Finite incantatum_." She turned to Harry as the Glamourie Spell wore off to reveal a woman with short dark red hair and large green eyes. The color of her hair and eyes reminded him of his mother so forcibly that he felt a sharp stab to his heart.

"My name is Arinna Dunlevy, and we have just successfully completed the kidnapping portion of this adventure!"

Her words did nothing to boost his confidence that she was not an imposter. He attempted to hide his disquieting thoughts and stated, lamely, "I'm Harry Potter."

Her eyes twinkled slightly again. "I am relieved to hear that! If I had accidentally nabbed Dudley Dursley instead, I'd never hear the end of it!" She peered at him closely. He was quiet, and nervous, in her assessment. She was unsure why. She pointed to a bag of clothes in the foot well of the back seat. "Could you hand me those? And you are welcome to get in the front seat."

Harry grabbed the bag, and moved to the front. As he handed her the bag, he saw a wand for the first time. She murmured an incantation and suddenly she was dressed in the clothes from the bag: jeans and a short sleeved top. The business suit was now in the bag. "Whew! I hate stuffy clothes. Now I am back in my element."

Harry was silent. He was nervously waiting for the other shoe to drop. It just couldn't be this easy to escape the clutches of the Dursleys. Something had to be amiss…

"Right." Arinna took a deep breath. "Well. I'm sure you have a lot of questions, so would you like to start, or should I launch into the entire story from the beginning?"

Summoning his courage, Harry turned and looked right into her eyes. "Who exactly are you working for?" he asked coldly.

Arinna was taken aback. She should have realized the kid would be paranoid. He had every right to be. But how had she aroused his suspicions? _Well, using words like "kidnapping" and "nabbed" probably didn't help,_ suggested her mind. She took another deep breath. _Go slowly,_ she told herself, _don't freak him out_. _Too late!_ countered another part of her mind.

"I am here as a favor to your headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. A small group of people whom he trusts came up with this little plan to get you out, and it was felt that I was the best person to execute said plan."

"Why didn't Professor Dumbledore's little warning get to me in time? Did you have anything to do with that?"

_Ah, so that's where I slipped. Stupid mistake, Rinna! They had warned you he was sharp-witted. _She leveled her gaze at him. "Yes. I'm afraid I did."

Harry made to get out of the car, but she grabbed his arm with lightning reflexes. "Wait up, and let me explain…"

"Not unless you can convince me you are not working for Voldemort!"

She did not flinch at the sound of the name. Harry's heart stopped for a moment.

_You're bungling it! _She screamed at herself. She let go of his arm and leaned back into her seat. She tried to appear non-threatening. "Harry," she sighed.

Something in the sound of her voice made him stop his fumbling at the door latch. _Was it sadness? Pain?_ He shook his head to clear his thoughts as she started to speak.

"I am not working for that effing bastard Voldemort!" she said fiercely. "I made the mistake of offering to deliver Dumbledore's letter myself when it became clear that the owls weren't reaching you. I didn't count on that shit of an aunt of yours and her pig husband not ever letting you out of the house! I finally decided to just deliver it when I got there. I'm sorry, Harry, but I seriously underestimated how you would react. It makes perfect sense that you'd be suspicious of me, what with all you've dealt with where Voldemort is concerned, and with your recent experience of being hunted by Sirius Black…" Her voice hitched ever so slightly. She paused to breathe.

He wanted to protest, _No, Sirius wasn't hunting ME!_ But the niggling thought interrupted again_; she said Voldemort's name without nary a stutter, TWICE! _He grabbed for the door latch again.

"Wait! Wait!" she said desperately. "I can prove to you that I am a friend, not a foe!"

Again he stopped at the tone in her voice. Part of his brain was berating him _run while you can, idiot!_ but he turned and looked at her. Her green eyes were wild with concern. "How?" he asked.

She reached for the glove box and pulled out a photograph. She silently handed it to Harry. He looked down at it and saw two teenaged girls, both with long red hair and green eyes. At first you would think them sisters because of the similarity in the hair and eye color, but on second glance it became obvious that these two had completely different features. The one with almond shaped eyes and a smattering of freckles was his mother. The one with big eyes and porcelain skin and delicate features was clearly a younger version of the woman sitting next to him. He watched as the two girls laughed, hugged each other and then mugged for the camera. The picture spoke of deep friendship and love, frivolity and hope, a bond of sisterhood.

Arinna spoke in a near whisper, "Your mum was my dearest friend."

7


	2. Instincts

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 2: Instincts**

**Disclaimer: Well, I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters. Big surprise, I know. Any characters you see here that you don't find in her books, well, they are my babies.**

**Author note: Here's where I give big ups to Lorett. She is an absolute GEM of a friend, and we're talking Hope Diamond proportions here! She is my beta for this story and if it wasn't for her, and her persuasive ways, this story would still only exist in my little ol' head.**

The two red-heads waved and laughed, then blew kisses at Harry. The cycle began again and he watched it through three times, feeling a number of emotions wash over him in rapid succession, like gusts of wind whipping at his robes. The little voice returned. _Muggle photographs can be altered. Can wizard ones?_ He tried to dismiss the thought, but it tickled the back of his mind like an annoying itch. _You don't know this woman at all. No one has ever said anything to you about your mum's best friend before. Why would she just show up now?_ He couldn't banish the tickle.

"Would you mind opening the boot for me?" He startled her out of her thoughts.

"All right."

Harry opened his trunk and took out a tiny picture album that reverted to full size once he pulled it from the trunk. He ran a hand over it lovingly before opening it. Hagrid had given it to him at the end of his first year at Hogwarts; it contained pictures of his parents. Harry flipped through the photos from their wedding hoping to find the faces of other guests, but Hagrid had been rather single minded in his quest to give Harry pictures of his parents, and pictures that did not have Lily and James as the main focal point had not made it into the album. He found the picture of James and Lily laughing with Sirius Black. There had to be…

A movement caught his eye, a movement at the left hand edge of a photo of the happy couple dancing. He waited…there! A young Remus Lupin twirled a girl in a deep red dress (_Gryffindor red_ his mind told him) but just as he turned her so her face would be visible, they slipped out of the frame. Patiently Harry waited and was rewarded when the dancers entered the frame again. Her smiling face was to the camera; her red hair piled on her head in an elegant coif, with tendrils hanging down to frame her face and emphasize her big green eyes. She laughed as Lupin wrapped his arms around her and dipped her. When they came up, they disappeared from the frame again_. Huh! Didn't know the Professor had it in him._ mused Harry.

Arinna was leaning against the car trying not to look at the pictures but it was no use. Her eyes were drawn to them like to a gruesome accident scene; she was almost nauseated by what she saw, but could not look away. Harry tapped the left edge of the picture, drawing her attention. She watched as she and Remus came into view, and again as he clowned around and dipped her. A small smile appeared on her face. "The silly ass," she said softly. Harry looked up at her and saw sad nostalgia in her eyes. "May I look at this?" she asked. He stepped aside and held the one side as she grasped the other and the next few minutes were spent in silence as they turned pages.

Arinna finally broke the quiet. "After almost thirteen years, the pain should be less, don't you think?" Harry saw the tears that threatened to spill.

"I'm guessing it's not," he whispered in half-question, half-statement.

She sighed and wiped her eyes. "In my experience, no. No, it is not."

Harry felt a pang of guilt for subjecting her to the painful memories the photos must have evoked. "I'm sorry," he started, "for bringing out the album, but I needed to know…" his voice trailed off. How could he tell her that he hadn't trusted her even after she gave him the picture of her and Lily?

She looked sharply at him, but her voice was kind. "Know what?"

"If the picture you gave me was a fake." He hung his head in shame. "I shouldn't have questioned…"

"HARRY!" Now her voice was sharp. She took the album out of his hands and turned him to face her. She placed a hand on his shoulder and the other hand under his chin and forced him to look at her. Two pairs of green eyes met and held. "Promise me you will NEVER stop listening to that gut instinct, that inner voice, or whatever it is that tells you something is not as it seems!" Harry blinked in surprise. "That IS what was going on, isn't it?" she pursued. He nodded.

She sighed and turned to lean against the car again, crossing her arms over her chest. "In retrospect, I probably was not the best person for the job. Swooping in, unheard of, out of nowhere and expecting that…"

SCREECH!

An owl's cry caused both to jump. "Hedwig!" Harry gasped. He ran to the back door and opened it and felt the heat that had accumulated inside. He pulled her cage out and felt a packet of owl treats thrust into his hand.

"Poor thing. I forgot it gets so hot in parked cars. Here, let me…" Arinna spun her wand around the bird and a cool breeze began to ruffle her feathers. Next she conjured some water in a dish. Hedwig hooted her approval. "Pretty girl! Do you feel better now?" Hedwig looked her right in the eye and mantled her feathers haughtily. "Hmmm. I don't think I'm forgiven," Arinna laughed softly.

"Ah, she'll get over it," Harry assured her, as he fed his owl the treats. "After all, she spent 3 weeks cooped up in my stuffy room at least as hot as this."

"May I borrow her, Harry? I need to send a note to Dumbledore and the Weasleys letting them know that I finally managed to wrestle you away from that, that, those _people_." Harry nodded, and she grabbed a note pad and a ball point pen from her briefcase. Harry tried to surreptitiously remove the note he had tied to Hedwig's leg earlier in his room but Arinna noticed. "What's that note about?"

Harry blushed and stammered. "To tell the Weasleys I was being kidnapped." he finally got out. There was a moment of dead silence, before she began to chuckle. _Sharp-witted? More like razor-edged! _

"Harry Potter, you have the makings of a good Auror in you! No, don't apologize again! What did I just say about trusting your instincts?" Her face broke into a genuine smile, like the one from the picture. She was stunning.

"That I'd better not ignore them?"

Her eyes were warm and lit up by her smile. "I say, Harry, if I am ever in a desperate situation, surrounded by danger on all sides, then I want you and your razor wits at my back!" She turned to tie her message onto Hedwig. Harry went all warm at her praise.

Two heads lifted in unison to watch the snowy owl fly away. A loud rumble emitted from Harry's midsection. "Tell you what," Arinna grinned, _it's been a long time, but I do remember that teenaged boys are bottomless pits. _"I'm feeling a bit peckish, let's go grab a bite to eat. I have a lot of explaining to do, and I must have sustenance to do it!"

Harry grinned back. "An excellent suggestion, Miss Dunlevy!" he bowed mock-gallantly.

As he settled into the front seat, she placed a hand lightly on his knee and caught his eye. "Harry, my friends call me 'Rinna.' I'd like for you to do the same."

As she pulled the car out into traffic, Arinna mentally made a herculean effort to pull her scattered wits together. The whole scheme had sounded good some ten days ago, but it wasn't playing out quite as she had planned. Seeing that photo album…seeing them…seeing _him_… _Pull it together, Rinna! You need to concentrate; you've only been driving for a year. _

Driving in the city made her nervous. In all honesty, driving anywhere made her nervous. But failure was not an option for Arinna Dunlevy, and having decided three years ago to experience the unknown (to her, anyway) Muggle world, she embraced it with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. _Well that sounds much prettier than the truth_ said a tiny voice in her mind. Ruthlessly, she clamped down on the seditious thought, but not before it added _more like FLED the wizarding world to the decidedly unmagical one rather than face… _Rinna pinched herself behind the knee. _SHUT UP! _she bellowed silently to herself. _Really, Rinna, you've got to stop listening to yourself._ She snorted. The irony that THAT was exactly contrary to what she told Harry HE should do was not lost on her.

The sound of her snort pulled Harry out of his own reverie. "Sorry? Did you say something?"

"No, but…this would be a good time to name your poison."

"What!" exclaimed a startled Harry.

Rinna mentally whapped herself upside the head. _Bloody brilliant. Just rile up all his suspicions again. Keep this up and you will never be allowed on another rescue mission! _She squashed down any further thoughts (including the one that stated she really needed a shot of fire whiskey about now).

"I meant, what do you want to eat? You choose. Anything you want."

"Oh. Whatever I want?" She nodded. Harry broke into a grin. "Pizza!"

* * *

Harry took a bite from the slice of pizza, sucking in air to cool the food as the hot cheese threatened to take a layer of skin from the roof of his mouth.

"I'm not one for sweet drinks," Rinna was saying, "but these fizzy ones aren't so bad."

"Soda." Harry corrected her, as he drank said beverage in an attempt to salvage his mouth. Deciding it was prudent to let the food cool, he studied Rinna with curiosity.

"Rinna, how old are you?"

She almost choked and replied, "Harry! Don't you know it is bad manners to ask a lady how old she is?"

Harry felt relaxed and happy for the first time in a long time and some impertinence was breaking through. "I'm sure I am NOT sitting with a LADY considering the language I heard you use not long ago!" He said in a supercilious tone while grinning cheekily.

"What!"

"I quote: 'effing bastard.' Really, Miss Dunlevy, such language is NOT befitting a …" He was interrupted by Rinna's shriek of laughter.

"That has got to be the best imitation of Minerva McGonagall I have ever heard!" she gasped out, laughing so hard she was teary.

"Well, she is the Head of my House," he replied, with no attempt at wiping the impudence from his face whatsoever. When the laughter died down, he continued, "You just don't look old enough, you know, to be friends with my mum."

"I was two years younger than her, actually."

Harry frowned a little. "How did that happen, then? Becoming friends when you are so far apart in age?"

Rinna paused. Certainly to an almost fourteen-year-old, two years was a big gap. But it hadn't seemed so to her and Lily. "Well, two things happened to bring that about, really." Rinna was surprised at how little pain she felt. She hadn't spoken of Lily to anyone in so long. She had thought it would be rather agonizing for her to do so. "The first was; I entered Hogwart's a year earlier than most children do."

Harry looked surprised, so she explained, "My magical gifts manifested quite early. There was a need for me to develop discipline sooner rather than later."

"Oh. And the second?"

"Well, I was so precocious in some areas, that at the beginning of my third year, I was put in Fourth Year Potions. The same class that Lily, your father, Siri…uh, all the Marauders were in."

"Wow!" Harry was impressed. He thought about Hermione using the Time-Turner last year. She certainly would be considered precocious. His heart gave a little pang at the possibility of losing her if she was advanced to the next Year. "But wasn't that hard on you, to leave your friends and go to a group of strangers?"

"Actually, I didn't really have friends. I was very insecure my first two years, and shy. Then, I started to realize I was academically at the top of my year and by the beginning of my Third Year, I was much more confident. And something happened to me…"

"What happened?" Harry was intrigued.

"I developed a backbone, an attitude and opinions! It really was a bad combination, actually, quite volatile. No one in the Potions class wanted an ickle Third Year telling them in minute detail exactly where they were doing wrong in the brewing. But I couldn't help myself. I was tired of being the quiet one. I was a little social nightmare, and became quite put upon by my classmates." She cringed at the memory.

Harry nodded. He certainly could not see anyone in HIS class tolerating such insolence from a youngster. He felt sorry for the young Rinna. "And…" he prompted.

She looked into Harry's eyes. So much like Lily's. _Ouch._ The pain finally manifested. And yet, it wasn't so bad when she could say it to Lily's eyes. "Your mother was a very compassionate person. She felt sorry for me and took me under her wing and saved me from the social hell I was unwittingly creating for myself. She stood up for me and, most importantly, she loved me for who I was." It felt like picking at a scab; _you had better stop now, before you pull away the protective covering and become a bloody mess. _

Harry wanted to talk with her forever. He really craved any information, any description of his parents. He wondered about himself; was he like them? Was his temper more like his mum's or his dad's? Which side did his sense of humor come from? But most of all, although he did not consciously realize it, he wanted some kind of confirmation that they would have been proud of him. Arinna Dunlevy had stepped into his life today, and provided some small bit of the enlightenment he desired. He wanted more.

"And you were friends ever since?"

Not trusting herself to speak at that moment, Rinna merely nodded her head.

"So you knew my dad, and Sirius and Professor Lupin, too, right?"

_Uh oh_ said the protective part of her mind, _don't go there. If you open too many wounds, you could bleed to death. _The picture from Harry's album of Sirius laughing was seared into her mind.

"Well," she hesitated, unwilling to open a line of discussion that she simply wasn't prepared for at the moment, "Of course I knew them...The, uh, the Marauders were quite, well, let's just say _infamous_ at school. I don't think there was a student there who wasn't subjected to their high jinks at one time or another." Harry's eyes lit up, but were quickly sobered at her next words. "And we will talk about them, Harry," she glanced around a bit nervously, "but later. This isn't the time or the place to do it."

Harry's lips pursed and quirked to the side. He sighed a little exaggeratedly and very grumpily. "Okay..."

Rinna nodded, _one bullet dodged_...

Harry's eyes lit right back up; _uh oh_…she could almost see the questions queuing up in his sharp mind, waiting to be flung at her...and she could feel her spirit running at a dead sprint behind its brick wall, not wanting to answer them.

"OH! But you can talk about my mum, right?" Harry went on undeterred, "Was she smart?"

Was the boy part terrier? Rinna felt like a fox in the hunt, cornered. "Definitely. She got high marks in all her classes. Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Transfiguration were her best subjects..."

"Did she like Quidditch?"

"Harry…"

"Did she play on the house team? Was she a good flyer like my dad?"

"HARRY!" Once again, the tone in her voice made him stop. "Harry," a bit less sharply, "Lily was like a sister to me." Her voice dropped very low. "When she…when she…died, it was like a part of me had been amputated." She dropped her head in her hands and ran her fingers through her hair. She looked up into Harry's eyes. "I'm sorry, Harry, I thought I could do this. I thought I'd be able to tell you what you wanted to know. But I haven't really spoken of her since…since that night. It is more painful than I expected, even after all these years."

"But you are the first person I've met who was my mum's friend, not my dad's…" his voice had a slight edge to it…a touch of desperation mixed with annoyance. He ran a hand through tousled, raven hair and Rinna watched fascinated, _Just like James…Just like **him.**_

Rinna cringed and looked away. She didn't want to see the look in his eyes…At the moment she just wasn't ready yet. Harry would have to wait until she could battle these feelings and get them under better control.

"I understand that. I do." Her voice became steady, and firm. _That's it, Rinna. Regain control of the situation, my girl. _"You want to know about your mum. And I want to tell you about her, really I do. But you are going to have to give me some time."

Her assessment of his face brought one word to mind: sulky_. Well, that's certainly better than desperate and annoyed… _"Besides, we really should discuss our plans for the rest of the day. And I dare say you would be interested to know what Dumbledore and company have in store for you the rest of the holiday, hmm?"

Harry brightened with sudden hope. Ron had mentioned having Harry stay at the Burrow, and…

"The Weasleys said something about tickets to the Quidditch World Cup," she dangled the morsel of information in front of him.

"YES!" Harry pumped his arm in the air.

Rinna smiled to herself at his quixotic change in mood. "AND you'll be staying at the Burrow for the rest of the summer." Harry did a few dance moves in his seat. "AND," she continued, "I thought that before we went there tonight for dinner, we could go to the cinema as a treat."

Harry had never been to the cinema as the Dursleys had never seen a need to take him. He'd watched movies on the telly, but wondered what it would be like in a big theater. As this was an opportunity not to be missed, he pushed away the disgruntled thoughts at having been thwarted in his quest for information about his mother, for now. He smiled at Rinna. "That would be cool!"

* * *

In the darkness of the movie theater, she tried to collect her thoughts. When she had woken up that morning on 23 July, Arinna Dunlevy had thought she had a pretty good idea of how the day would play out. And now, looking back, she realized that not a single quaffle had gone through the hoop. Her strategy had been sound, so what had happened? Something had obviously upset her game.

It had started with that album. She hadn't been prepared to see everyone she loved looking so carefree and beautiful and alive. That's what had started the mortar crumbling. And then Harry's questions, and his eyes…hungry for any tidbit about his mother…_Don't need to use Veritaserum on me, oh no. Just put Harry Potter in front of me and I'll spill my guts till I pass out from the pain. _Well, that had begun the breaking of the bricks.

And then more questions, tearing at that place in her heart that she thought was dead, that she had tried to kill…Her fingernails dug into her palms as her hands became fists in anger. She had spent almost 13 years carefully constructing the fortress around her heart, an impenetrable wall made from bricks of determination and denial and cemented by discipline and torment…and for what? To have the wall start to crumble so quickly, so innocently, so effortlessly…because of a stripling wizard, a mere slip of a boy?

Well, she needed to regroup, pull herself together, rebuild. She sighed. _New game plan: think about how to give Harry the information he wants, no, needs, without causing further damage to yourself. _

She couldn't put it off for long; Rinna KNEW that sooner or later he would need to be told. Her eyes slid closed at the thought. Harry needed to know about Lily, about James, about his godfather, and about Rinna's promise to Harry that she had been unable to keep.

Rinna wondered, and not for the first time that hot summer day, just what exactly she'd gotten herself into…


	3. Reunion

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 3: Reunion**

**Disclaimer: Well, I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters. Big surprise, I know. Any characters you see here that you don't find in her books, well, they are my babies.**

Harry found himself standing in front of the fireplace of a cozy house, his luggage ready. Rinna had a knapsack on her shoulder and a bakery box in her hand. "Oh!" she snapped her fingers in annoyance. "Sorry, this'll just take a minute," she apologized to Harry.

Rinna crossed the room to the telephone and dialed. "Hullo, Dorrie, it's Rinna. Thanks for the use of your car. The keys are in the trunk so just blast your way in as usual. Oh, thanks for the briefcase and phone, too. Everything worked out. Talk to you soon, luv." She rang off and pressed the button on the answering machine beside the phone and spoke, "You have reached the office of Upward Bound UK. We are sorry we cannot take your call at this time. Please leave your name, number and message. Your call will be returned as soon as possible. Thank you." She played the message back, and nodded with satisfaction. "It's good to cover our bases, don't you think?"

"They won't check up on me," Harry told her. "They couldn't care less what happens to me."

Rinna looked at him appraisingly. His tone was matter of fact, not full of self-pity. As if that was all he ever expected from his family. _He deserves so much better_ she thought. _At least I knew Mother loved me. Harry doesn't know what that feels like. _Then slipping past her embattled defenses came the quisling thought: _And it is your fault… _

"So…you ready?" she said brightly. Harry nodded. He shoved his trunk and Hedwig's cage into the fireplace, which at some point had started burning. She handed him a canister and he took a handful of powder. "The Burrow!" and with that the luggage disappeared in a roar of flames. Harry, then Rinna, quickly followed.

Rinna emerged from the fireplace into controlled chaos. Harry was being attacked by several red-headed people and a girl with brown hair. Bemusedly, she stood by and looked around the living room. _Looks almost the same…_ And suddenly she was in the fierce embrace of a forty-ish plump woman. "Welcome back, luv," Molly whispered in her ear and gave her a peck on the cheek.

Rinna staggered as Molly Weasley abruptly let her go, only to be caught up by a tall man with thinning ginger hair. "Good to see you, old girl!" Arthur said as he bussed her other cheek.

When Arthur released his bear hug, Rinna opened her eyes to find many sets of eyes looking at her. _Well those are the twins, obviously. They are turning out handsome. And that must be Ronald…and the youngest one…but where are…_

"Percy! Charlie! Bill!" bellowed Molly up the staircase. "Get down here, our company's arrived!"

More handsome boys clattered downstairs and crowded into the room. Harry was introduced to Charlie and Bill who were both on holiday from their work. They shook hands with Harry. Harry immediately liked both of them. He thought Bill was very cool with his ponytail and earring. Charlie was stocky and muscular from his work with dragons in Romania, and he had a friendly, inviting face.

Percy pompously extended his hand to Harry, "Good to see you again, Harry." Ron rolled his eyes and Fred and George shoved Percy aside and began taking turns pumping Harry's hand.

"Jolly good to see you, old chap."

"Yes, absolutely smashing to have you here."

"You're a sight for sore eyes, mate."

"Give us a kiss, won't you, Harry?"

"Boys!" admonished Arthur, but he was smiling. "Leave off."

The chatter died down as everyone became aware again of Rinna's presence in the room. Bill broke into a broad smile. "Arinna Dunlevy, I have had a crush on you for over 15 years and seeing you now merely fans the flames of my humble adoration!" He strode over as he spoke and pulled her into a big hug.

Rinna grinned as he released her and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Well, Bill Weasley, I dare say you've turned into quite a charmer!"

"Oh no, not a charmer," he replied, "Curse-breaker."

"Give over!" Charlie shouldered his brother out of the way and enfolded Rinna in another rib-crushing squeeze. Then he took her hand and bowed gallantly over it. "I must confess, dear lady, that when last I saw you, all girls had cooties, and you were no exception." Rinna laughed and Charlie grinned cheekily at her. "However, I will now amend my assessment of you. You are magnificent."

"Ah, here's the charmer!" Rinna smiled. "No wonder you do so well with the dragons, Charlie!"

Bill gave a guffaw, and slapped Charlie on the back. Molly and Arthur joined Charlie, Bill and Rinna in laughter, unaware for a moment that everyone else in the room was struck motionless in shock.

_It feels good to laugh_ Rinna realized, and she was struck by a sharp pang of _what? Homesickness? This family is the closest thing to normalcy I ever had._ The thought plucked a chord deep in her buttressed heart: _I miss this…_

She looked around. Percy had a puzzled frown on his face, the rest of the Weasley children (and the brown haired girl) had their mouths open in astonishment at this stranger their brothers were hugging and flirting with. Harry's expression was torn between amusement and curiosity.

The moment was, well, awkward.

Rinna cleared her throat. "I don't suppose Percy remembers me much," she began, "he was five when I left. The twins certainly won't…"

"This one's Fred and this is George," Molly pointed. "Here is Ron, he's the same age as Harry, of course, and here's our Ginny." Rinna shook hands with each one.

Feeling that Hermione was being left out, Harry jumped in, "This is my friend, er, Ron's and my friend, Hermione Granger."

As they shook hands, Hermione asked, "And how is it you know Harry, then?"

"Come, come, it looks like we'll be doing a lot of talking. Let's at least all sit down," said Arthur, shooing everyone to take a seat in the living room.

Bursting with curiosity, Ginny boldly asked Rinna, "Who are you?"

"This is Arinna Dunlevy, dear." Molly replied. "Let's see, your mum and I were second cousins, right, Rinna dear?" Rinna nodded. "So that makes you all third cousins."

The silence that followed was remarkable because it was probably the quietest moment heard in the Burrow in years. _Clearly I wasn't mentioned to the younger ones._ Rinna sighed mentally. _Not that I blame Molly and Arthur, really. It was probably easier not to have to explain everything…_

Shrugging off the little spasm of hurt, Rinna picked up where Molly left off: "Your parents took me in after my mum died. I lived here a few years before…" She faltered. "Before I left England."

After another few awkward moments and curious glances around, everyone began talking at once and the Weasley home descended again into the typical pandemonium usually associated with it

* * *

Dinner had been set up in the shade of the backyard garden, but not before a fine show of dueling tables by Charlie and Bill. Accompanied by Mrs. Weasley's fine cooking, the dinnertime conversation had meandered from cauldron bottoms to the Quidditch World Cup to Bill's earring and hairstyle. Several times Bill or Charlie had tried to coax Rinna into telling of her adventures abroad, but to Harry's disappointment, she had managed to be interrupted each time. Harry was sitting too far away to bring up any questions of his own.

As the garden began to darken, Charlie, Bill and Arthur conjured candles to light the way through dessert, which consisted of pastries Rinna had brought. Harry sat back, contentedly full and rather tired, and listened to Mr. Weasley discuss the morning plan of going to the Wizarding Museum of National History. Harry wasn't sure he wanted to go until Ron waxed enthusiastic about it. Hermione, of course, was beside herself with excitement.

Percy excused himself to return to a report for work; the twins applauded his departure and catcalled loudly after him, blowing kisses and bellowing that they would miss him terribly. Molly scolded them and poured the tea without skipping a beat. Everyone leaned back and enjoyed the sounds of crickets chirping and gnomes giggling as Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, chased them through the garden. A pleasant breeze perfumed the air with the smell of honeysuckle and fresh grass. Ginny fell asleep. Harry found himself dozing a bit, and finally Arthur noted the time was late and sent the teenagers to bed with the warning they were getting up early.

Harry got up and stretched and walked to Rinna's chair. "Well, goodnight."

She looked at him through heavy lidded eyes. "Goodnight, then, Harry. And don't worry, we'll talk again soon."

She watched him go into the house, then heaved herself up from the chair. "Molly, shall I give you a hand with all this?" Molly smiled appreciatively in response and accepted the offer.

When the clean up was done, Molly and Rinna were finally alone in the kitchen. Rinna found her knapsack and pulled out an album bound in deep green leather. She turned to Molly, her face flushed and her voice hushed, almost reverent, "I brought this to show Harry, so he could see pictures of Lily when she was young."

Molly smiled. "I remember how you'd spend evenings working on that album at this very table. I think it was one of the only truly girly things you did." Rinna snorted and ran her hand over the smooth cover.

"Harry showed me an album he had today," she remarked. Then, more quietly, "It had pictures of all of us, Molly. Lily, James, me, Remus…and…and Sirius." Molly remained silent, but put her arm around the younger woman's shoulders. Rinna's voice had dropped to a whisper. "It nearly tore me apart to look at them…"

Molly squeezed her shoulders tightly. Molly had no illusions of knowing what Rinna was going through. She had not been privy to all of the circumstances that led up to the night of the Potters' deaths and Rinna's eventual departure from England. Certainly, she had some ideas based on observations and outside information, but Rinna had stopped confiding in Molly at the age of 19, when she had outgrown the need for mothering, and long before any of those events. The best that Molly could ascertain tonight was that Rinna had not healed from her wounds, and the damage appeared to run deep.

Rinna trusted Molly. This dear woman hadn't pressed for explanations, did not scold for too-infrequent letters, and had not demanded that Rinna re-establish communications when she had returned three years ago. She had let Rinna go and be her own woman, no questions asked.

Rinna respected that, and admired the gumption it took to take on a 16-year-old girl marred by trauma, angst and rebellion. She knew she'd not been easy on the Weasleys. Despite that, they had always made her feel welcome and safe. _Maybe this is the place, in the presence of this woman, in this house, where I can open up this album and…NO!_ shouted the protective part of her mind, _don't do it! It will hurt…_

"I know what I will see when I open this," Rinna said softly. "I'm prepared to see Lily…but I don't think I can look at any pictures of him…" her voice quavered.

Molly thought she understood. "Perhaps a concealment charm…over certain pictures only?"

Rinna's eyes snapped to Molly's. "That's brilliant! I could do that…" She took out her wand and began an incantation. When she had finished she looked again at Molly.

"Molly, do you think I'm a terrible coward?"

"For what? Avoiding certain memories by concealing photographs?" She sighed. "I would never accuse you of cowardice, Arinna Dunlevy, but I am concerned that you seem to push away all your feelings."

"What do you mean?" Rinna frowned.

"I spent the entire evening watching you sidestep any conversations that might bring up memories, dodge questions about your time abroad, avoid Harry altogether…it was an impressive display. I rather thought I was at a Quidditch match watching you evade bludgers."

"Ouch." Rinna groaned and sat down heavily in a chair, leaning forward until her forehead lightly smacked the table. It was a move so reminiscent of the teenaged Rinna that Molly couldn't help but smile. "All right," came her voice, muffled by the table, "let me have it."

Molly was slightly taken aback. "Have what?"

Rinna turned her head on the table so one eye was looking at Molly and smiled a bit ruefully, "The infamous, 'Molly Weasley Lecture' that I probably deserve many, many times over. Merlin knows I've managed to avoid it for 13 years now. I'm about due, don't you think?"

"Well," Molly tutted, busying herself with wiping her hands on her apron and casting a sly sideways glance at the young witch, before sitting down next to her, " all right then, but remember, Dearie, you asked for it." Rinna huffed out a little laugh as Molly grasped her hand affectionately. "Rinna dear, you can't just stop yourself from feeling. It's no good. Besides, if you don't feel, how do you know you are alive?"

Rinna sat up and gently squeezed Molly's hand before pulling her own away. "To be honest, Molly, I don't think I am. Alive, I mean. I swear sometimes I feel like a walking corpse. Empty."

"Why would you even want to continue this way?"

"Because it is safe." Rinna combed her fingers through her hair in frustration. "I'm safe from feeling; safe from emotions…Do you know what happens when I allow myself to feel anything? I start to feel the guilt, and when I feel the guilt, then I start to feel the pain…and I'm so afraid of the pain, Molly…"

Rinna dropped her head in her hands. It really had been a long and tiring day. She had to be insane to be having this conversation now, after all the struggles she'd had with her emotions this day. But the dam was breached, and the words continued to spill.

"I'm afraid that I won't be able to stand the pain, and I'll end up back in St. Mungo's…like before…"

Molly took the younger woman in her arms. "Rinna, luv, you need to let it out; you need to cry, scream, something…It is not healthy to keep it all locked away inside you like this all these years…"

Rinna pulled back. "No, I'm fine. I don't need to cry. I have everything under control. I will NOT be weak!" she said fiercely.

"Dear girl, crying isn't a sign of weakness. It's a sign that you are human."

Molly watched as Rinna silently disengaged from the conversation. Her body language spoke volumes. _She's gotten quite skilled at that. I guess the lecture is over. _Molly reached over and squeezed her hands, "I dare say I've scared you off from an invitation for dinner again tomorrow?"

"What? Oh, no. I mean, no you didn't scare me off. I did promise Harry I'd tell him more about his mum." Rinna looked at the abandoned album. "Can I leave this here for Harry to look through if he wants?" Seeing Molly nod, she added, "It would be easier if I didn't have to look at the pictures with him, at least, not yet." _You are a coward, Rinna girl._ "What time tomorrow, then?"

"Oh anytime in the afternoon." Molly stood up and opened her arms.

Rinna looked up into her face, then stood, reaching in and accepting the older woman's embrace. "Thank you, Molly. For everything," she whispered.

"Any time, luv, any time."

* * *

Hermione smelled a mystery and was determined to solve it with Harry and Ron playing Watson to her Holmes. Lounging in their pajamas, the three were engaged in deep discussion in the room Harry and Ron were sharing. "So who is she, Harry?" she asked.

"Weren't you listening, Mione?" teased Ron. "I'm surprised you didn't dig out some parchment and start taking notes down there."

"I didn't need to," she smirked as she pulled out a rather impressive looking quill and blank parchment. "I saved my allowance for this." She touched the quill with her wand and it began writing a transcript of all the conversations she had heard that evening. "It's a Transcription Quill. Now I don't have to worry about gaps in my notes in class. I can check them against this."

"You have this quill, but you're still going to take notes? You're completely mental, you know." Ron rolled his eyes at her. Hermione stuck out her tongue at him. The Transcription Quill finished its work with a flourish and settled on the parchment.

"It's nice and fast," Hermione noted with satisfaction. She picked up the parchment and began skimming it. _Harry is being awfully quiet_. She looked up at him; reading puzzlement and worry on his face. "Harry? Are you all right?" she frowned with concern.

"I'm just thinking about your question, Mione," he said thoughtfully. "I met her only 12 hours ago."

"And she said she had been best friends with your mum…"

"That's right," he clarified.

Ron asked, "How do y'know it's true?"

Harry flashed a grateful look at Ron. As the day had worn on, he'd felt more and more like a cad for questioning Rinna's integrity. But here was Ron, questioning it too. Harry didn't feel so bad about it now.

"She showed me a picture…here, let me get it." Harry found his discarded jeans and pulled the picture from his pocket. He handed it to Ron; Hermione crowded in to get a better look.

"Blimey," said Ron, "they look like sisters…"

Hermione nodded. "They certainly look like very good friends…"

"I found a picture of her in my album, too. The one Hagrid gave me."

"Let's see it!" the other two said in unison. Harry went to his trunk and pulled out his album. It changed to normal size.

"That's wicked!" admired Ron. "How'd you get it to do that?"

"I didn't. Rinna charmed my trunk somehow. It was weird, though. I never saw her use a wand. She never even went to my room."

Hermione meditated on this new information. "I wonder how powerful a witch or wizard has to be in order to work magic on an object they can't even see, or have never seen?" she mused.

Harry had flipped to the page with the dancing. He pointed to the edge of the picture where Professor Lupin had just dipped the red-dressed Rinna. They watched the picture cycle through a few times.

"I wonder if she and Professor Lupin were going out," said Hermione.

"Why is it that girls always want to find some sort of romantic relationship in everything?" Ron asked the ceiling.

"Why is it boys can be thick as posts sometimes?" Hermione also consulted the all-knowing ceiling.

"Why can't we stick to the topic at hand?" Harry rolled his eyes at his two friends.

"Right, sorry," said Hermione. "The topic is…Arinna and Lily were best friends. That's all we know about her."

They were quiet for a few moments.

"Well it's rather odd that you've never heard of her or met her before, don't you think?" Hermione asked.

"But I'd never heard of Sirius either, until last year. No one wanted to tell me about him because…"

Hermione finished his thought, "Because they didn't want you to know he 'betrayed' your parents!"

"So do you think she did something? Something no one wants to tell you about, because it is so awful?" Ron asked.

Hermione clicked her tongue at him, "Honestly, Ron! Like your parents would let her in their house if she had done something awful!" Another thought struck her, "She said your folks took her in and she lived here a few years…why is it they never told you younger kids about her?"

"And for that matter, why didn't they tell me about her?" Harry chimed in. He started to get a little upset about that. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley of all people should know how much he wanted to learn more about his parents. But they did not tell him of the existence of Lily's best friend? They had to have known that Arinna and Lily were chums.

"All right, let's look at this logically," Hermione stated.

"Is there any other way for Mione to look at it?" Ron stage whispered, attempting to lighten the mood.

"I heard that, you know." She began jotting notes. "She claims to be your mum's best friend. She also happens to be related to Ron. But neither of you have heard of her before today. She mentioned that when she had left England, Percy was five. He's eighteen now, right? Mrs. Weasley said she had been back almost three years…so that means she had been gone for almost 10 years…"

"What was she doing all that time?" Ron wondered. "Hey, maybe everyone thought she was dead! That's why no one spoke about her…"

"But then why wasn't Harry told about her when she returned to England?"

"Hang on! She came back here the same year we started going to Hogwarts!" Harry pointed out.

"So what's the connection?" asked Ron.

Harry raked his hands through his hair in frustration. "I don't know. We need more information!"

He was tired, cranky and more than a little put out that vital information was being kept from him..._again_. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley knew this woman; Professor Dumbledore apparently knew her…even Professor Lupin, judging from the way he held her when they danced, knew her! _I respect each of these people and I think they want the best for me. Why would they…Wait! _

Harry snapped his fingers. "Sirius!"

Hermione and Ron looked at him, perplexed. "Don't you see?" he said excitedly, "If my mum and dad knew her, and Professor Lupin knew her, then Sirius must have known her, too! She told me she knew all the Marauders." He commandeered Hermione's bag, searching for blank parchment and a quill. "I'll owl him and ask him for information…"

"Harry," Hermione's voice was gentle, and worried, "he might not be able to tell you much…during the time in question, he was in Azkaban." Her heart stung as she watched Harry's excitement deflate like a popped balloon. "But it would be worth asking him about it," she added helpfully.

"Yeah. It would be." He resumed his writing. At least he was taking action, and it did make him feel better to be writing to his godfather. _Maybe someday, when circumstances are better, I could live with Sirius… _Harry let himself indulge in this newest fantasy.

For a few brief, delightful minutes at the end of the term, Harry's wish had almost come true, but Sirius had had to go on the lam again and that squelched any hope of having a new family, at least for this summer… He finished his note.

The trio crept down the stairs to the living room where three owls were quietly roosting. After dispatching Hedwig with an admonition to keep Sirius' whereabouts secret, Harry turned and glanced into the kitchen.

Sitting invitingly on the table was a rather large book…


	4. Retrospection

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 4: Retrospection**

**Disclaimer: Well, I still don't own any of JK Rowling's characters. Not for lack of desire, mind you. It's just that she got to them first! Any characters, spells, or places you see here that you don't find in her books, well, they are products of my fertile imagination.**

Harry didn't know how long he had sat at the kitchen table, turning pages, eyes devouring pictures of his mother. He ignored the people she was posed with, ignored the elegant writing under or near the photos providing details of the events the photos portrayed. All he wanted to see was his mum. And, of course, his dad, because later on in the album James was featured too. Harry was too tired to do more than look tonight; he promised himself that tomorrow he'd read the stories about his parents that Rinna had captured in her refined handwriting.

He was coming to the last few pages when his eyes were arrested by a large picture of a red-headed woman holding a baby whose dark hair stuck out in all directions. The woman was clearly entranced by the infant in her arms, cooing and laughing and reverently touching the little hands and feet. The woman turned as if answering a remark from the invisible photographer and looked Harry in the face. She was not his mother.

A sudden realization swept over Harry, his spine prickling with the implications: _could she be…_ and he wished that he had allowed Ron and Hermione talk him into going upstairs instead of insisting he sit at the table and look through the album tonight, because he knew, **knew** without a doubt, that he would not be sleeping now.

His eyes were drawn to a letter on the facing page written in Rinna's hand on a scrappy piece of parchment. Whereas he had ignored all of the other captions and notes, he felt compelled to read this one.

_Sweet Baby Harry,_

_You are less than 15 minutes old and I finally get to hold you in my arms! I am immediately smitten, and I start talking to you and you look at me so intently, I am sure you understand completely all that I am saying. Your mum insists that I write down everything I have said to you, and she eventually wrenches you away from me and your dad hands me a scrap of parchment…so I've decided to write you this letter: _

_Hello, precious one! You are the most amazing little creature I've ever seen. You are very loved; do you realize that? I will always love you, and I promise you that anytime you need your Auntie Rinna, for whatever reason, I will be there for you. I will love you like you are my own little boy, and some day you will be the "big brother" to my children. No matter what, you will always have a special place in my heart._

_May you grow to be a man of integrity and wisdom and grace—like your dear mum and dad. My fervent wish for you is that you have as dear friends as your parents are to me. Precious things are very few in this world, and deep friendship is a priceless gift._

_You are so tiny, so precious. No one else has ever put my heart in motion this way…like it was missing a beat until you were put in my arms. How can I fall head over heels over someone I just met? I never believed in love at first sight, until this moment. Harry James Potter, I wonder if you'll ever realize how much you already have me wrapped around your tiny little finger._

_I will always be_

_your loving godmother,_

_Arinna Dunlevy_

Harry sucked in his breath sharply and fell back against the chair, stunned. It wasn't the fact that Rinna was his godmother that surprised him; that actually made sense, now that he thought about it. She had been his mum's best friend just as Sirius had been his dad's. (He was momentarily puzzled by her lack of declaring herself to him, but the thought was quickly pushed aside.)

What did leave him astounded was the sheer mushiness of the letter. Harry had never read a note like that directed at **him** before. The words swam before his eyes…_precious one…place in my heart…love at first sight…you are very loved…_No one had ever told him he was loved like this.

Sure, he knew that Hermione loved him, and Ron. He knew the Weasleys were very fond of him. Yet none of that kind of love felt like the love he read on this page. He'd be hard pressed to describe just what kind of love it was, but he knew it was different, and it was lacking in his life. It was like… a mother's love that had been poured into that parchment. He had difficulty wrapping his head around it.

Harry realized just how inadequate the word "love" really was; it was used to describe so many different feelings. (He vaguely remembered Hermione telling him that there were five different words for love in Greek.) He sat, somewhat astonished, for quite some time.

Eventually he realized he also had difficulty with the incongruence of the Rinna in the picture and letter and the Rinna he had met today. Not that he expected that she should have fallen all over him gushing and whatnot, but she was just so, well, detached…aloof…off-putting. He could not imagine this woman writing the letter he just read…

The lateness of the hour (well after midnight) and the excitement of the day (yesterday, actually) started to overtake the conundrum that was niggling at his mind. He laid his head on the table for a moment to collect his thoughts and was stealthily overtaken by the black depths of sleep.

* * *

Molly yawned her way down to the kitchen to start on breakfast and pack the picnic lunch for the culmination of this morning's outing. She was startled to find Harry face down on the table; the album Rinna had left was open by his head. _Did she place an Enticement on that scrapbook? _Molly shook her head at the thought. _No, Rinna wouldn't have done that. I hope. Harry was probably feeling peckish in the night and found it on his midnight raid of the pantry. _

Molly moved closer to Harry and the page he had been looking at commanded her attention. The picture of Rinna and Harry was a poignant memento of a relationship that should have happened. She glanced to the letter on the facing page, and read it, tears springing to her eyes. _Rinna had been all atwitter at the prospect of being Harry's godmother, often joking about making all her mothering mistakes on him, so her children would turn out perfect. She had had a knack with children; the boys had all adored her. It was such a shame…_Molly paused to mourn for the surrogate grandchildren she had dreamed would come from Rinna, but were not meant to be.

Wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her dressing gown, she reached down and gently shook Harry's shoulder. "All right, Harry?" He jerked awake and looked around, disoriented. "You have an odd taste in pillows, Dearie." Molly teased.

Harry rubbed the red spot on the bridge of his nose where his glasses had pressed. "Sorry," he muttered, "must've fallen asleep…"

"No doubt you'll have a crick in your neck from sleeping like that. Why don't you go up and take first crack at a nice hot shower? After you're dressed, you might even have a chance at forty winks before breakfast." She ruffled his hair and shooed him with her hands. Harry reached for the album, then hesitated. "Go on and take it up with you," Molly suggested, "she brought it for you to look at."

Harry nodded and took the album, and, stifling a yawn, groggily staggered out of the kitchen.

Breakfast was mayhem, as usual. George and Fred had charmed the griddle to rather forcefully hurl the finished flapjacks onto each person's plate. It would have been a useful spell, to be sure, had the flapjacks been charmed to dodge obstacles, but, as it was, most everyone ended up momentarily wearing his or her breakfast. Hermione leaned forward conspiratorially to Harry, using Molly's tirade against the twins for cover, and whispered "Did you find out anything useful?"

Ron pricked up his ears. "Yeah, mate, you didn't even make it to bed. Must have been pretty interesting."

"You didn't go to bed last night at all?" Hermione hissed reprovingly. "Harry, that was very foolish. Now you will be grumpy and no fun at all."

Ron protested, "Mione, that's not fair! If we were at Hogwarts and Harry had pulled an all-nighter studying, you'd be fawning all over him right now and cooing about his dedication to his academic pursuits."

"First of all, you prat, I do not coo. And secondly…"

"Actually I did fall asleep on the table," Harry interrupted their squabble with a grin. Then he dropped his voice lower, "but I did find out something…"

"What are you three up to?" came the sharp voice of Molly Weasley.

"Er, nothing, Mum," Ron said hastily. "I was telling them about the wing at the Museum that's devoted entirely to Quidditch." Harry looked at Ron with interest and raised his eyebrows inquiringly. Ron nodded. Hermione let out a sigh that indicated she was suffering under the boys' obsession for the game.

Charlie jumped into the conversation with enthusiasm. "It really is a brilliant exhibit, Harry. I could spend hours in that section."

"As you have proven many times in the past," Molly said tartly. "Now hop to, everyone! The morning is wasting!"

Despite being bone-tired, Harry enjoyed the outing to the Wizarding Museum of National History, particularly when they found the section that was dedicated to the history of Quidditch. Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George and Charlie grinned like hippogriffs in a meat locker, and never even realized they had been abandoned until the rest of the group came back to round them up for lunch.

In the shade of a tree in the plaza next to the Museum, the trio munched on their picnic lunches. "What did you find out, Harry? The suspense was killing me all morning." asked Ron around bites from his sandwich.

"Oh please," Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'll wager you forgot all about it while you were in the Quidditch section, both of you." The boys looked at each other sheepishly. Hermione was on the mark as usual.

"I found out that…" Harry was not unappreciative of the effect a good dramatic pause could have. A brown head and a red head moved closer to the brunet. "She's my godmother," he finished simply.

"Of course," Ron snapped his fingers, "that makes sense. Sirius was your dad's best mate and he is your godfather…"

Hermione finished the thought. "And Arinna was your mum's best friend, so she's your godmother!" The kids were silent for a moment.

"But what doesn't make sense," said Ron with a frown, "is why she didn't take you after…you know."

Hermione lips made a little moue of frustration; Harry grimaced and ran his hands through his dark hair. "That's what I'd like to know," he grumbled.

* * *

The afternoon proved to be another warm one, and the teens sought refuge on the porch playing various wizarding card games. George and Fred taught them the latest craze in Wizards Poker called Transylvania Hold 'Em. The combination of heat and lack of sleep caught up with Harry, and he opted to nap on the hammock, seeing as he was momentarily safe from the twins' pranks: they were busy raking in their winnings. Finally the game was called as Fred and George had taken every last piece of Honeydukes candy that Ron and Hermione owned. Harry woke up, declined a game of Exploding Snap with Hermione and Ron, and fetched the photo album instead.

Harry sat under a tree in the back yard, back against the thick trunk, album on his lap. He was reading the captions and bits of journaling that accompanied the pictures. Rinna apparently possessed a sly wit, even as a youngster, and many funny or embarrassing anecdotes were documented. Harry especially enjoyed the bits of information he got about his parents…_Curious…I see Mum, Dad, Rinna, Professor Lupin and even Pettigrew, but where are pictures of…_

"Hullo, Harry." A glass of lemonade appeared before Harry's eyes as Rinna handed it to him, then sat down next to him with her glass and a bowl of pretzels. "Found the album, then?" She offered the bowl to him. "It was a bit cowardly of me, I know." Harry turned a quizzical look to her. "To just leave it, not look through it with you," she explained.

Actually, Harry was glad to have been able to look through it alone; he'd liked having those private moments with his parents. But, he was irritated that she had not been forthright with him yesterday. _Why didn't she just tell me she was my godmother?_ So he decided to take a little dig.

"That was very un-Gryffindor-like of you," he admonished.

A memory came to Rinna suddenly and clearly as the day it happened; a memory of turning to four teenaged boys, pausing and saying, "How very Gryffindor-like of you." She shook her head to clear the vision. _Where had that come from, after all these years?_

She smiled regretfully at him. "Yes, I suppose you could say that." She sighed and leaned against the tree trunk, closing her eyes and gathering her courage around her like a cloak. _All right, Harry m'lad, bring it on. I'm ready for this…I think._

Harry heaved a frustrated sigh when, once again, explanations did not come tumbling from her lips. Not that he was surprised. However, he was shrewd enough to realize that he would likely lose in a game of silent waiting to see who would crack first. After all, she was reluctant to give up any information, and he was eager to extract it, so he cast her a sideways glance and said rather petulantly, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"That I'm your godmother?" She huffed out a long breath, blowing the hair off her forehead. _I certainly don't deserve that title now, do I?_ She lifted her head, opened her eyes and looked at Harry, her face impassive. "I suppose that I didn't want to disappoint you, having to tell you that you had yet another godparent who had failed to come through for you…"

She pulled the album out of Harry's grasp and flipped to the page with the letter to the infant Harry. She handed it back to him and pointed to the second paragraph of her letter. Harry re-read it.

Harry looked up at her when she whispered, "I promise you that anytime you need your Auntie Rinna, for whatever reason, I will be there for you." Her voice was choked with regret, bitterness and pain. "I wasn't there when you needed me, Harry." She was unaware of crushing a pretzel to powder in her hands. "It tears me apart to look at you and have to admit that I was unable to keep my promise to you."

"Why?" he whispered, "What happened?"

Now her voice rose a little in agitation. "_That night_ happened," she said bitterly. "Your parents were killed, you somehow survived and Voldemort's power was somehow negated. Hagrid took you away on Dumbledore's orders…"

"But where were you? Why didn't you take me in?" His voice was threaded with anger and despair.

Rinna threw her head back against the tree, connecting with a little thump and squeezing her eyes shut against the memories. "I never made it to Godric's Hollow, Harry. At the time the Dark Lord's curse was recoiling off of you, I was…uh, his reluctant guest in some dungeon of his, bound by curses and spells…"

"Oh." What more could he say? He digested this startling information. He jerked up his head in surprise when she continued, her voice once again stoic.

"You apparently saved my life. All of the magical bonds and compulsions I was under disappeared in that moment of defeat. I was found in the gardens of the manor where I was being held; I was crawling in an attempt to get to all of you, under some delusion that I could somehow stop what had happened."

Harry was horrified by the pictures her words conjured in his mind.

There was a long pause. "By the time I had sufficiently recovered and learned that you were still alive, you had already been placed with your aunt's family."

Something in Harry snapped. _All my life I have been abandoned by every adult who was supposed to have cared for me. No one was there for me. My parents died, my godfather gets sent to prison, my mum's own family treat me like scum, and my godmother…_He turned to face her, eyes flashing and jaw set.

"And that's it?" Harry spat furiously, "you just gave up and left me with them? What happened to that special place in your heart that I had?" Rinna looked at him, dumbstruck, eyes wide. "Why didn't you fight for me?"

And just as suddenly, the storm was over. Harry slumped his head into his hands and said quietly, "Of course, I know why…Sirius was my legal guardian, not you."

Rinna blinked and took a deep breath. She had been prepared for something such as this. Or so she thought. Preparation did not stop his words from tearing at her heart, and worse…clawing at memories…

_It would be so easy to just let it end here, let him think a simple legality prevented me from taking him in._ Unfortunately, Harry's outburst had awoken in Rinna one of her gifts that had become a casualty of her ruthless campaign to keep memories and pain away: her keen sense of empathy. She knew what it felt like to have a parent die. She knew the pain of abuse by ones you were supposed to trust for protection. She understood the sense of abandonment that Harry must be feeling.

_I can't leave it like this; it would be a lie._ Harry needed to understand why she hadn't fought for him. _There is no getting around it, then, Rinna. You need to belt up and tell him about St. Mungo's. _

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I really would like to hear your thoughts about this chapter, or the story in general, so…go to the "go" button and leave a review. I'd be thrilled to hear from you!**

**A note about the album: I am a scrapbooker. It is one of my hobbies. Unfortunately I don't get much time to do it these days, especially since I am writing. So…if I can't do my hobby, I will just write about it and live vicariously through Rinna's album right now. If you are a scrapbooker you can probably imagine what her album might look like, with journaling and ephemera and embellishments. If you are not a scrapbooker, whatever you do, DO NOT get started doing it! It is addictive, expensive and leads to obsessive behavior. You have been warned.**

7


	5. Explanations and Broomsticks

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 5: Explanations and Broomsticks**

**Disclaimer: Well, I still don't own any of JK Rowling's characters. Not for lack of desire, mind you. It's just that she got to them first! Any characters, spells, broomsticks or places you see here that you don't find in her books, well, they are products of my fertile imagination.

* * *

**

Rinna shifted her position uncomfortably. "No, there was no legal restriction preventing me from taking you. If anything was to happen to Sirius, I was next to be your legal guardian." She saw Harry open his mouth in reply and interjected, "Harry, please listen to me. I need you to understand something." That whatever-it-was in her voice that compelled him to listen to her was back. He nodded.

"You must believe me that if it had been in my power to do so, I would have found you and wrenched you away from the Dursleys, Dumbledore's magic be damned," she said with ferocity. "Unfortunately…" her eyes became unfocused as her words drifted to a stop.

She shook her head and started again, "You see, Harry…I was devastated that I hadn't been able to stop what had happened to your parents, that I couldn't warn them, or anything. If I had just made a different choice, if I had…" Her breath hitched. She filled her lungs, then blew the air out her mouth, and continued. "My mind and body were…uh…I was, I was just hanging by a thread to my sanity at that point, when they found me…" _Merlin, this was arduous!_

Difficult or no, there was no turning back now. "Then, when I learned about what happened with, with…with Sirius and Peter…when I was told that Sirius was a traitor and a murderer and was being sent to Azkaban…"

Again Harry opened his mouth, but she held up her hand to forestall him. "Well, I just…slipped over the edge of reason. I was taken to St. Mungo's… that is, St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Have you heard of it?" Harry nodded, appalled. "I was there almost three months."

Memories, hazy and unfocused, encroached on her concentration. _Remus…was he really there every day? His soothing voice reading…Molly with her new daughter and year-old son in a pram…how could she bear to bring them to such a place? Dumbledore's voice, soft and compelling, entreating me to climb out from my dark well of despair…Remus holding my hand, telling me how much he needed his only remaining friend…_

She exerted her will to regain her focus. "I recovered eventually, but there were questions as to my, uh, my competence to be your…to take you on…fears of my having a relapse, I suppose. Wouldn't be good to place a tyke with his barmy godmother, would it?" she laughed mirthlessly. Harry just gaped at her.

"I knew that you were safe in Petunia's house, knew the magic that was used to protect you. You would be out of harm's way and far more secure there than with me at that point. I left England a few months after, assured in the knowledge that you were safe, but cognizant that I had utterly failed you."

She leaned back against the tree trunk and closed her eyes, for the moment completely spent.

Harry was quiet for a long time; he felt a tightness in his throat that made speech impossible. If he had been asked to describe what he was feeling right now, he would have said it was like he had been so close to grasping the Snitch…almost had it in his hands…and at the last moment: nothing, nothing but air.

His face reflected anger and grief. Once again, he'd learned how close he had been to having a happy childhood, only to have it cruelly snatched away. He was angry with Rinna; angry with her for being weak, for succumbing to madness when she should have been taking care of him. And yet, another part of his mind realized that he was being unfair to her. _She was tortured, you selfish prat, and she lost her best friend…and thought Sirius was a murderous betrayer…_

His eyes moved down to the album on his lap. _Of course! That's why there are no pictures of Sirius…she thought he was a traitor and removed them. But she's wrong; I need to tell her that Sirius was set up._ Harry glanced at her, not sure if now was the time, but desperately wanting her to know that Sirius was innocent.

"Sirius Black did not betray my parents."

She started and opened her eyes. This was not the response she had expected from him. "What?"

"I said Sirius Black did not betray my parents. And he didn't murder all those people, or Peter Pettigrew. We found out the truth last month at Hogwart's. Do you want me to tell you what happened?"

"Oh," she whispered, "I already know that."

Harry had not anticipated this. "You do? How could you?" he wondered.

"Remus Lupin told me." She closed her eyes again. Seizing the opportunity to replace the memories that were currently performing an obscene dance in her head, she let her mind wander to that day last month when Remus had come to her house…

* * *

"Remus!" she was surprised to see him, and took in the damage to his face and disheveled appearance. "You look like shit. What the hell happened to you?"

"Hello, Remus, so nice to see you after almost six months. Do come in, won't you, you devilishly handsome man," he retorted, sarcastically.

Rinna had the grace to blush. "Sorry, but you woke me up. I'm feeling a bit waspish at the moment." She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. "Come in, come in. I'll put the kettle on."

"It's after 10:30 in the morning! How is it possible that you are just waking up? Are you hung over?"

She made a face at him. "Why aren't you at Hogwarts? Term's not over yet." She cast a suspicious glance at the wounds on his face.

He sat at her kitchen table and shrugged. "I quit."

This took Rinna by surprise. "What?"

"The short version is: word got out that I am a werewolf. I resigned so that Dumbledore would not have to suffer the process of sacking me."

Rinna did a quick calculation in her head: the full moon was just past. "Did you not have your potion?" she asked carefully.

"Unfortunately, no."

"Was anyone hurt, besides you I mean?"

Remus thought of Sirius. "Yes."

She looked up sharply, "Any students?"

"Thank God, no. But it was close."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rinna watched as several emotions played across Remus' face. There was more to the story, she could tell, but he was reluctant to open up yet. _Time to graciously offer a way out of the conversation…_She held up a bottle of fire whiskey. "Or should we just get drunk?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Is that such a good idea, what with you being hung over?"

_Ouch! Changing the subject with a pointed personal remark. Nice one, Remus_, she recognized the avoidance maneuver. She was, after all, a master of those herself. "What makes you think I am hung over?"

"Well, your incredibly witty and charming personality improves by leaps and bounds when you are. After your endearing greeting at your door, I just naturally assumed…"

"Bite me, Remy!"

He grinned and appreciated her use of her old childhood comeback when he would nag at her too much. He sealed the ritual with the expected witty retort: "Not the best thing to suggest to a werewolf, luv."

He looked her up and down. "Besides, you're still in the clothes you wore out last night, unless you are now wearing sequined halter tops and skin tight trousers to bed instead of these cute flannel boxer shorts and T-shirts you used to favor?" He smirked at her.

She looked down, "Damn! I meant to change into those. Must have slipped my mind."

"I'm worried about you, Rinna."

"Remus," she said exasperatedly, "I'm fine. I am NOT hung over. I had to work late, double shift, you know."

He looked at his friend somberly. _She is absolutely brilliant at Potions, and she is wasting her talent mixing alcoholic concoctions as a bartender. _He took in her face, with the dark circles under her eyes accentuated by smeared makeup and the same taut wariness she had worn since hearing about Sirius' escape from Azkaban those many months before. "Well, you look terrible."

Her eyes snapped in anger. "Hello, Rinna, so nice to see you after these past six months. I've popped in to insult you and accuse you of being a lush, you incredibly short-tempered shrew."

Remus was taken aback. "I'm sorry, Rinna. It's none of my business," he said stiffly.

She felt the anger drain out of her. "No, I'm sorry. Of course it's your business; you're my oldest friend. I'm lucky to have someone who cares about me so much." She put her hand on his arm. "Will you forgive me for being such a bitch?"

He took her hand and in a gallant gesture, he kissed it. "I wouldn't have you any other way," he said sincerely.

She pulled her hand away and slapped him lightly on his arm. "Insufferable git." He grinned at her as she retrieved the tea kettle and poured him some tea.

She settled in her seat at the table and looked at him over the rim of the teacup. "The offer still stands, you know."

"Talking about it? Or getting drunk with me?"

"Either one, or both."

Remus sighed. "Actually, I do need to talk to you. You need to hear the details. And I need to talk to you…about Sirius."

The teacup slid from her hand and sloshed hot tea everywhere. Her eyes were wide. "Oh no, Remus," she whispered, "don't tell me the Dementors caught him."

Remus studied her for a moment. _Looks like you care about what happens to him more than you like to let on, Rinna dear._ He cleared his throat. "No, he's still on the run. But new details about…about **that night** have been revealed. There are things you need to know."

She closed her eyes. She did NOT want to talk about **that night**, nor Sirius Black.

She heard her refrigerator door open, and was startled to see Remus rummaging through it. He pulled out a few items and turned to her.

He knew she wore sexy outfits to work, she told him she got more tips that way, and damn, she sure did them justice. He needed to concentrate, needed no distractions when he told her his news, and he couldn't just _tell_ her she was distracting him with all that creamy white skin exposed and the pants hugging her every curve. He needed a diversion.

"Look, why don't you go get cleaned up? I'll cook us some breakfast," he glanced at the clock, "er, brunch, and then we'll talk."

_This is very bad, if Remus is stalling like this._ Then she heard his stomach rumble. _Or, he could just be starving…"_Right, then. I'll just go get cleaned up."

Remus looked up as he heard her bare feet pad into the kitchen. She was fresh faced with her cropped hair slightly damp and dressed in jeans and a short sleeved blouse. Unfortunately, she did not look one bit less attractive, but at least her cleavage wasn't so blatantly exposed. He shook his head at these thoughts and set a beautifully prepared omelet in front of her.

She took a bite and moaned appreciatively. "You know, Remy, that a man who cooks like you is every woman's fantasy."

"Is that so?" he snorted in amusement. "You'll notice all the women lined up and beating at the door to get to me?"

"I know someone who is very interested in getting to you," she grinned conspiratorially.

He looked at her sharply as his heart did a nervous flip-flop. "Who could you possibly know who would know me and…" He gulped. The only two women she could realistically be referring to were Rinna or…"You couldn't even remotely be hinting that your former roommate…" His voice trailed off in disbelief.

She chuckled at his discomfiture. "Oh, but I most certainly am. She talks about you ad nauseum." She smirked when she saw him wiggle uncomfortably in his chair. "And she already knows all about the werewolf thing. She seems to have no problem with that." Rinna was thoroughly enjoying making Remus squirm. "She confessed to me she has had a crush on you since the tender age of four when Sirius brought you and James to his cousin's for a visit…"

Her voice came to a halt, and she had a troubled look on her face. Mentioning Sirius' name had broken the spell of the teasing camaraderie, and reminded them both of the reason for Remus' visit.

Remus reached out and took her hand and the two friends moved to the couch. Remus proceeded to relate the entire story of what happened at Hogwarts a few nights before. He hoped that some of the details might bring Rinna some peace, but knowing her as he did, he suspected that they might just give her more things to feel guilty about instead.

When he was done, he was more than concerned about the ashen look on her face. She sat there, immobile, with her eyes closed and shoulders slumped. He wished that just once she would let him take her in his arms and she would cry, because all this keeping-everything-in that she did so effectively was slowly eroding her spirit. She was one of his old school friends, he loved her dearly, and, frustratingly, it seemed there was nothing he could do to help her.

_Except this_, he thought, as he got up and went to the kitchen. He came back with the bottle of fire whiskey and two glasses. She lifted her head when she heard the clink of the glasses on the coffee table. "Shall we get drunk now?" he suggested, as he poured.

* * *

"Well, if you already heard it from Professor Lupin, I guess I don't need to…"

Rinna sprang back to the present. It occurred to her that if Harry was busy talking, he would be less likely to ask more questions of her. Surely information that she had already known for a month would not be that painful to hear… "Actually, I would like to hear it from your viewpoint, if you don't mind."

Harry was surprised. "Uh, okay." He looked up to the house and saw that Hermione and Ron were still playing some kind of game on the porch. "Do you mind if Ron and Hermione come over? To help fill in the story."

The situation had improved again: if Harry's friends joined them, then chances were good Harry would not be asking anymore painfully probing questions of her this evening. Although Rinna had no doubt that Ron and Hermione would know every detail of her and Harry's conversation under the tree by the end of the night. "All right, I don't mind. But I think we need to make ourselves more comfortable. I don't know about you, but my bum feels completely numb from sitting on the ground."

Harry managed a half-hearted laugh, and then waved his two friends over. Meanwhile, Rinna pulled out her wand and conjured four comfortable lounge chairs, two more glasses of lemonade, and refilled hers and Harry's.

Rinna actually found herself enjoying the retelling of the story, in a way. Watching the three kids interact, hearing the story interwoven as it jumped between narrations, learning minute details that Remus had not or could not provide was most interesting. It was obvious the friendship between the trio was tight; the three practically worked together like a collective consciousness at points. It made her miss Lily keenly.

"And then my leg broke in like fifteen places…" Ron was saying.

"Oh, please!" Hermione rolled her eyes. "Why is it that each time you tell this part, your fractures multiply exponentially?"

"I was hurt VERY badly," Ron gritted through his teeth at her.

Harry interjected on Ron's behalf, "Yeah, Mione, it took Madame Pomfrey several hours to sew Ron's leg back on!"

"HEY!" Ron rounded on Harry. "Don't you start on me, too!"

Rinna's chuckle was interrupted by a "Whoof!" as Crookshanks chose that moment to jump on Ron's stomach. "Gerroff!" he grumbled as he waved the cat off with his hands.

Crookshanks walked with great dignity to Rinna's chaise and tromped partway up her legs. She extended her hand and he rubbed the side of his face against her fingers. She trailed her fingers down his back and he meowed at her pleasantly. "Hrrr-reow," Rinna trilled back at him.

"Blimey!" cried Ron. "Don't tell me you can talk to cats!"

"No, Ron. That was just the fine art of imitation." Rinna grinned. "Ooooh, ouch!" she cried as Crookshanks began to knead his claws on her thigh, purring loudly.

Hermione apologized profusely, and tried to pull Crookshanks off Rinna's leg, but he dug in, undeterred.

"It's all right, Hermione," Rinna reassured her as she waved her wand and a pillow appeared beneath Crookshanks' paws. He didn't even notice the change. "There you go, handsome boy," Rinna told him. He just continued purring as he looked up beatifically into her face.

After a quiet moment to regroup, the teens were off again on the narrative. Finally they came to the point where Harry said, "I should tell you about what Professor Trelawney said."

Rinna asked, "Professor Trelawney? Who's that?"

"Our Divination teacher. She's an absolute crackpot!" Hermione explained.

"But this was different, Hermione," Harry insisted. He proceeded to tell them about the incident in the tower classroom, and the prediction the professor had made.

Rinna was deep in thought. "How did that one part go? 'The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than he ever was.'" She mused.

"You can't possibly believe that it was a legitimate prediction!" Hermione cried.

Rinna turned to her. "I don't know Professor Trelawney. She is new to Hogwarts since I was there. But I will tell you this: true prophecies DO exist. Granted, they are subject to the vagaries of human whim and choices, which is why no prophecy is truly set in stone…but…" Rinna felt a prickle run up her spine. She would need to look into this.

"I wish I had just killed Pettigrew when I had a chance…" Harry muttered.

"Nonsense, Harry! You made the right choice." Rinna said firmly. "You said you did not think Lily or James would've wanted Sirius or Remus to become killers. Well the same is true for you." She looked thoughtful. "Besides, you have now spared his life. He is indebted to you." She grinned maliciously. "The Dark Lord won't like that one bit."

"That's what Professor Dumbledore told me." Harry muttered. Then he added, "He's the only one besides you that I've told about the prophecy."

"Well then…" Rinna began, but she was interrupted by Molly calling the four of them for dinner.

* * *

After a huge dinner and dessert, everyone (but Percy, who again had work to do) went to the living room to sprawl on the rug or the furniture. Fred draped himself over the armrests of an easy chair and groaned, "I feel like a blood-swollen tick."

"Oh, thanks for that lovely imagery!" snapped Ginny sarcastically. "Now I feel sick!"

"Just don't hurl on me, little sis!" advised George.

After some more good natured banter, Bill suddenly sat up and snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot!" He turned to Rinna. "I found an old trunk up in the attic. I believe it belongs to you. I'll just run up and get it." He sprinted up the stairs as if he hadn't just consumed seconds and thirds at dinner, eliciting a groan from many in the room.

Bill came down the stairs with a trunk levitated in front of him. Rinna's bemused expression changed to one of slight shock. She had almost forgotten the trunk, and she certainly remembered why she had left it behind. She did not want to look through it, not with Harry nearby, ready to spring all kinds of questions on her. Except…there was one thing in there she knew he'd like to see, Charlie too.

Bill set it on the coffee table and looked at Rinna. "Your trunk, m'lady."

"Oh, Bill, thanks for going to the trouble of bringing it down. There really isn't anything of monumental importance in there: just a bunch of old school things. I'll take it home and rummage through it at my leisure."

Quite suddenly she was filled with a need to see it, the most precious thing in the chest. Without consideration she said, "Though there _is_ something in here that I want to check on, to make sure it has weathered storage well." Rinna tapped the lock of the trunk with her wand and murmured an incantation. The lock opened. She lifted the lid, and reached in. In her hand was a tiny broom.

She spoke the enlarging charm and suddenly was holding an old model broom that was in excellent condition. Charlie whistled appreciatively.

"Is that a Silver Dart? It's gorgeous!" He reached for it, "May I?"

She handed it to him. "Right. It's a Silver Dart 1001 LE."

The others crowded around Charlie to marvel at the broom. The light wood had a finish that gave it a silvery sheen, and it was accented with emerald green. Harry frowned at the Slytherin-like color scheme, but had to admit admiringly that it complemented the broom well. Carved in the handle, also in green to match, was the name: _Dunlevy_. The broom did not look one bit worse for wear at having been stored for so long.

Rinna watched Charlie, Harry and the others admire the beautiful craftsmanship, and her heart dropped into her stomach. _Idiot! What were you thinking, bringing that out? _She obviously hadn't been thinking…just caught up in the moment of seeing the beautiful broom again, without weighing the consequences, without thinking of the memories the broom would call up. The memories that now laid into her gut with stunning force.

_Handsome face smiling, dark blue eyes lit up with mischief and delight, tantalizing lips saying, "Do you like it? It practically grabbed me by the neck and screamed 'I was made for Rinna!' and I knew I had to get it for you. Now kiss me and tell me you won't forget me while you are at Hogwarts." His lips warm against hers, her mouth moving against his as she whispered, "You dolt, I'm going to see you every Hogsmeade weekend. And I love it."_

"Rinna. RINNA!"

Startled, she looked up, disoriented and almost dizzy. "What?"

"I asked if you'd mind if I have a go on her?" Charlie looked at her eagerly.

Charlie looked so much like the eight-year-old boy she had last seen that she had to laugh. "All right, then, take 'er up!"

"Me, too?"

"Can I have a go after Charlie?"

"And me?"

Grateful for the distraction, she smiled. "It is fine with me. Molly? Arthur?"

Arthur smiled widely and said, "Everyone outside, then!" There was a mad scramble for the door, the silvery handle of the Silver Dart flashing in Charlie's hands.

Molly and Arthur waited for the crush to die down. Rinna snapped the trunk closed and turned to them. "Thank you for keeping this for me," she said quietly. Her eyes met Molly's, who read the sadness there.

"We can continue to store it for you, dear, if you want," Molly said to her. "It does not take up much space."

"I wouldn't want to impose on you anymore."

"It is not an imposition, you know," Arthur said pointedly. "We want you to always consider this your home, Rinna."

Rinna was reminded, after her conversation with Harry earlier that afternoon, that the magic Albus Dumbledore had placed on Harry and the Dursley home was the same magic that had been used on her and the Weasleys years earlier. _No wonder I feel so safe here,_ she realized.

Deeply touched, tears welled up in Rinna's eyes. "Look, I know I was rough on you, especially at the end…"

"Nonsense!" snapped Arthur. "You are family; families endure the rough times. We will always be here for you."

Nodding in agreement, Molly held out her arms to the younger woman, and Rinna readily stepped into her embrace. Arthur put his arms around the two of them.

They remained in this manner for several moments until a loud whoop from outdoors startled them. "We'd best get outside before your broom is smashed to smithereens!" Molly suggested with a twinkle in her eye.

Rinna was greeted by the sight of Charlie on the Dart barreling head-first toward the ground in a Wronski Feint-type maneuver. He leveled out at the last heart-stopping second with another loud whoop. The assembly clapped and cheered. He touched down with a flourish, dismounted the broom and walked toward Rinna, grinning broadly.

"Merlin's broomstick, Rinna, she's a beaut! None the worse for wear, either. You should take it up." He handed the broom to her. "Sorry I didn't let you have first go," he said sheepishly.

"I planned it that way, Charlie, so you could check it for safety," she teased him.

With the broom back in her hands, her stomach did a flip-flop. She fiercely squelched any more memories, threw her leg over the broom and rocketed straight up into the moonlit sky.

Up, up, up she went, higher and higher, feeling the wind rush against her skin, stripping away the memories, the pain, the weight of her problems until it felt like she was lighter than air. How could she have forgotten the exhilaration of flying? She paused at the apex of her trajectory, hanging in the starry sky, defying gravity for a long moment.

And then she plunged downward, spiraling and looping, the broom responding like a live thing to her every nuance, flashing like liquid silver in the moonlight. It was like a ballet, like a dance with a lover, inspiring, invigorating and heady. She did not want the moment to end. She closed her eyes and leveled out and allowed the summer night air to caress her face.

But like a Glamourie Spell, the illusion of weightlessness and freedom came to an end as she sped over the Burrow and saw her audience. She began a slow turn to take her back to the Weasleys' yard, dipping and swerving and generally testing the capabilities of the Dart. Charlie was right; the old broom handled beautifully.

Harry watched Rinna fly, deep in thought. She certainly knew how to handle a broom. He wondered if she had played Quidditch at Hogwarts and grew momentarily irritated that he did not know more about his godmother. As he watched her circle to land, he was amazed at how happy the expression on her face was, and for a moment, how young she looked. He recognized the look on her face; it was a look i _he /i _wore only when practicing or playing Quidditch. _She loves to fly, just like me_. He smiled and twitched with anticipation of getting his hands on that broom and flying in the moonlight.

Applause rang in the air as Rinna walked toward Harry, taking in the dreamy smile and twitchy expectation. Her eyes fastened onto his and for a jarring moment a _connection_ was forged between them; a recognition of what was held in each other's eyes and countenance. _When it comes to flying, we are kindred spirits, you and I. _

She wore her lovely genuine smile as she placed the broom in Harry's hands. "Here, Harry. Why don't you see what you make of her?"

As Rinna sat on the steps and watched every move Harry made, she felt a pang in her heart. _He should have been with me._ The sense of loss was as keen as the sharp blade of a dagger. She felt as if her heart was off beat, and it _hurt_.

After the last person had had a chance on the broom, everyone found a place to sit as excited jabber filled the air. Fred and George hit upon the idea of having a backyard Quidditch match prior to Harry's birthday party the following week. This was met with great enthusiasm and received instant approval by the party planner herself, Molly Weasley.

Fred turned to Rinna and said, "You will come, won't you?"

Rinna looked at Harry, not sure how he felt about her coming. That connective moment during the flying notwithstanding, she understood as a matter of course that he may not want her in his life after everything he had found out that afternoon.

"I think I will leave it up to Harry who will be on his guest list for his birthday party and pre-party Quidditch match," she said lightly. She met Harry's eyes. "If you need to fill a position on a team next week you can owl me."

Harry blinked and realized she was leaving the quaffle on his side of the pitch. He felt irritated again. He wished she would just tell him what she wanted: did she want to be back in his life, or not? He followed her as she slipped into the house.

Rinna was just putting the shrinking charm on the Silver Dart and placing it back in the trunk when she felt Harry's presence. They were alone together for the first time since the confession under the big tree. She turned to face him. It went against her nature to let other people make decisions for her, and though she knew she shouldn't get the last word in, she couldn't stop herself.

"Look, Harry, I'd like to come to your party next week if you'd have me. I really don't want to miss any more of your birthdays. But I'd understand if you don't want me…"

"I want you to come," Harry interrupted. "You're my godmother. Of course I want you here."

She released a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. "All right, then. I'll be here."

"And the pre-party Quidditch game?" he raised his eyebrow in a challenging manner.

She grinned. "I wouldn't miss it for anything!"

* * *

**Author Note: This is the portion of our show where I request that you scroll down to that little "go" button and leave me a review. It doesn't have to be a long review. Even a few words will satisfy me. Heck, I'll be happy if all you leave are a few guttural sounds. The point of this little ramble being…I'd like to hear from you. Thanks!**

12


	6. Disclosures and Intemperance

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 6: Disclosures and Intemperance**

**Disclaimer: This may come as a shock to you, but I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters. They do, however, seem to want to play around in my head, hence this story. Any characters or places you see here that you don't find in her books, well, they are products of my fertile and fevered imagination. The spells are referenced below.

* * *

**

The buzzing of insects and chirping of birds was insidiously being supplanted by a tap-tap-tap at the grimy window of the abandoned work shed. Groaning with the effort of pulling himself out of the half-awake, half-asleep state he'd been in, Sirius Black rolled over and caught a flash of white wing at the window. Instantly he was on his feet, working the warped window open. A snowy white owl flew in and landed on a rickety sawhorse. She preened proudly before squawking imperiously at Sirius. She stretched out her leg like a blue-blooded lady extending her hand for a kiss.

Sirius chuckled and removed the letter she proffered. The smile left his face as he read. When he finished, he had to sit down as a myriad of questions bombarded him like bludgers. In the rush of his mad escape from Hogwart's, he'd had no time to find out what had become of Arinna Dunlevy. How was he to respond to Harry's note? He was completely in the dark.

Sirius sat for a long time, half-watching Hedwig pounce on a few mice. _Rinna_. Just the thought of her brought up so many mixed feelings: anger, desire, betrayal, hurt, longing, bitterness… every memory of her was tinged with these emotions, and therefore they had not been touched by the Dementors during those long years in Azkaban. Being on the lam for a year hunting Peter had provided a distraction from the thoughts and ponderings about her that he had nursed like a festering sore during his time in prison. Now they were back in full force, and he needed to winnow out fact from speculation and wishful thinking.

Finally, he got up and rummaged through the few belongings he has acquired recently, looking for a pencil. He turned over the parchment and wrote:

_Dear Harry,_

_Arinna Dunlevy is your godmother, although why she has not revealed that fact to you, I cannot fathom. On my discovery last year that you had been placed with your aunt and uncle, I had my doubts about where her loyalties lie, as she was to be your guardian should anything happen to me (per your parents' wishes). I wish I could tell you that you can trust her, but I honestly cannot guess as to her motivation for coming back into your life after all these years. At best, I can say be careful, and if you have any doubts or suspicions, contact Dumbledore or Lupin. I will be, of course, seeking out additional information about her and I will contact you as soon as I know anything more. I suspect we will be seeing each other sooner than we expected._

_Take care of yourself,_

_Sirius_

He re-read what he wrote, realizing that his message was not the least bit reassuring, but he did not want Harry to be complacent. Not when Voldemort was trying to regain power.

If he was honest with himself, he wanted to believe Rinna's intentions toward Harry were benevolent, because he wanted to believe that Rinna had not had any part in what happened with Lily and James and Peter. But his experience with Peter had taught him that not everything is as it seems, and even though you think you know a person well…

He shook his head. _No more speculation. Now is the time to act._ He tied the note to Hedwig's leg with a murmur to her to deliver it to Harry straightaway. He began throwing his meager possessions into a worn knapsack.

An image of Titian hair and emerald eyes entered his mind, plush lips parted in a secret smile just for him. He sat down, hard, put his head in his hands and raked his fingers through his hair in a nervous gesture. _As long as you're being honest with yourself, Black, you might as well admit that you are haring off to England in the hopes of patching things up with her, if there is even the smallest chance of that happening._ He shook his head again. _No, I despise her, remember? Ha! Admit it: you have secretly harbored the dream that your last conversation with her was some huge cosmic joke._ He sighed. That was true. He could admit it fully now, since there were no Dementors here to suck away any hope that thought would bring…and since he was apparently having a "be honest with yourself" moment here anyway.

Well, if he was going to embark on some ill-advised trip back to the country where he was the most wanted wizard alive, he should probably make a few plans and travel under the cloak of darkness, seeing as this had worked for him so far.

He walked over to the hippogriff in the corner. "Oy, Beaky, I'm going to garner some provisions. We'll be leaving at nightfall." Buckbeak chirruped in reply and nuzzled Sirius affectionately. "I'm jumping both-feet-in back into the mess of my own manhunt. And for what, Beaky?" Buckbeak cocked his head to the side inquiringly. "For a woman who… well, I don't know what she is to me anymore. I just know that I need answers that only she can give me." He chuckled ironically, "That, and the fact that I cannot get her out of my head." He clapped Buckbeak on his feathery shoulder, "Ah, hell, Beaky. James would be laughing his ass off right about now…"

* * *

Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione were sitting in Ron's room trying to cool off after a fine game of football on the Weasley lawn. Hermione had brought her ball and taught the game to them. Harry had a basic understanding of the rules, but the others were completely unfamiliar with the Muggle game. Ron had had a great deal of difficulty not using his hands until Hermione made him put his hands in his pockets. Ginny had teased him unmercifully about how silly he looked.

"I thought the best game was the Weasley vs. Non-Weasley," said Ron, giving his sister a high five.

"Oh, are you still congratulating yourself on that spectacular block you made with your face?" grinned Hermione.

"Kept you from making a goal, didn't I?"

"Well I thought the best game was the girls vs. boys," Hermione said.

"Right," Ginny agreed, "because we kicked your sorry boy arses!" She and Hermione jumped up and gave high fives, then pumped their fists in the air, "Oh yeah, oh yeah!"

"That's only because I was stuck with Pocket Boy!" Harry insisted.

"Hey! That's 'Pocket Boy: Footballer Extraordinaire' to you, mate!" Ron said in mock indignation.

"Ugh. Too many syllables," Ginny commented. "I'll just call you 'P-Boy' instead."

Ron scowled in disgust. "I think not. If you do..." he started to advance on his sister menacingly, "I will have to hold you down and drool on you!"

"Oh, why don't you grow up, Ronnie P-Boy? Still resorting to those old disgusting…aaahhh! NO! STOP!" Ginny shrieked and ran behind Harry. "Save me, Harry!"

Ron attempted to reach around Harry, saying, "C'mon, mate, help me out here. Defend my masculine pride!"

"Right," said Harry, who turned around and seized Ginny by the arms, grinning. "Sorry, Gin. I've got to help the poor bloke out. Masculine pride and whatnot."

"Argh! If you try anything, then mark my words: the first thing I will do when we get on the train to Hogwarts is throw a Bat Bogey Hex on you two that will knock you into next week!" Ginny threatened.

Harry let go of her arms as if they were hot pokers. He turned back to Ron. "Sorry, mate. Swallow your masculine pride. I don't ever want to be on the receiving end of one of Ginny's hexes!"

"No, you bloody well don't!" Ron exclaimed from experience.

"Hmph!" Ginny sniffed and flounced over to sit on Harry's bed next to Hermione, who was giggling. "That will teach you to manhandle me!"

"Little sisters are such pains in the—"

"Ron!" admonished Hermione.

Ginny huffed, "Brothers! You are SO lucky you don't have any, Hermione." She flopped back on the bed and hit her head on something hard. "OW!" She reached under the covers and pulled out a green leather album. "What's this?"

Harry looked up. "Oh, that's Rinna's album. She left it the other day for me to look at."

"Can I look at it?" asked Ginny.

Harry shrugged. "Sure." He and Ron settled on Ron's bed for a game of Exploding Snap.

Hermione moved closer to Ginny and took one side of the album, helping hold it. They turned pages together and admired the artwork and read the journaling, commented on the fashions of the day, and admired the handsome Marauders.

"Professor Lupin was such a hottie!" Ginny commented.

"I did NOT hear that!" groaned Ron.

Hermione frowned, flipped through a few pages, and said, "Harry, there are no pictures of Sirius in here. Isn't that odd?"

"Yeah," Ginny noted. "And look at this: there are blank spots on these pages, and this page is completely empty. That's weird."

"Why is that weird?" Ron wanted to know.

"Because the layout doesn't look right. It's not balanced. There should be a picture here, and right here…look, the journaling stops mid sentence. Like someone erased it."

"You're right!" agreed Hermione. "Look at this compared to the earlier pages; it's not her style at all to leave big gaps…she uses all of the page for pictures, writing and artwork or doodads."

Harry shrugged. "My theory is she took out all the pictures of Sirius when she thought he was a murderer."

Hermione was running her fingers over one of the open spaces on the page in front of her. "Hang on. It feels like something is here. Feel it, Ginny." She took Ginny's fingers and ran them on the page to show her. Ginny nodded in agreement. "I think the photos are still here, just concealed in some way."

Ginny frowned. "Too bad we aren't allowed to do any revealing charms…"

As luck would have it, Bill passed by the open door on his way up the stairs to his room.

"Oy, Bill!" Ginny called.

He came back and poked his head in the door. "Yes, my darling sister?"

She flashed her sweetest smile at him, the one that said _I have my oldest brother wrapped around my pinkie finger and he has no idea_, and said offhandedly, "We think there is a concealment charm on this. What spell would you use to break it?"

Bill walked over to the girls, pulling out his wand. "Well the simplest one is _resolvo_ _veneficus_," and he tapped the album. Nothing happened. "All right. We'll try this: _aspectus invisus_!"

For a second, nothing happened. Then there was a slight shimmer, like a mirage on a hot day, and slowly the missing pictures appeared.

"There. Nothing to it!" said Bill with satisfaction. He turned and strolled out.

"Thanks, Bill! You're the best!" Ginny called after him. She looked around the room. Everyone was staring at her with mouths open. "Rather handy, having a curse-breaker in the family, hmm?" she asked nonchalantly.

"I can not believe how easily you manipulated Bill into doing that! It's almost creepy." Harry said admiringly.

Ginny held her curled fingers in front of her face, blew on them, then extended her hand palm out and admired her fingernails. "It's a gift," she said airily.

Hermione was goggling at the page that had formerly been completely empty. "Oh my goodness. Harry…come here! You have got to see this!"

Harry strode over to her and took the album. The others crowded around him, looking over his shoulder.

One of the photos showed Sirius and Rinna hugging and falling off the couch, the next showed them getting back on the couch laughing hysterically. Several had them smiling and kissing. A slightly larger one was of the two of them dancing, Rinna's head on Sirius' chest, his chin resting on the top of her head. He then took her in his arms and dipped her dramatically, pulling her back up to him and kissing her soundly.

The largest picture of all showed a grinning Sirius taking Rinna's left hand and moving it toward the camera. A beautiful ring made of an oval ruby with diamonds on either side was on her ring finger. Under that picture, written in Rinna's handwriting and surrounded by little drawn hearts, was the word: ENGAGED!

"Bloody hell," breathed Ron.

Harry sat down abruptly. He felt light-headed.

"Do you suppose they were married when, you know, when Sirius went to Azkaban?" Ginny asked quietly.

"I don't know," said Harry dully.

Hermione was suddenly very angry, for Harry's sake. "Well this is just typical of her, isn't it?" The others looked at her quizzically. "Leaving you to discover yet another rather immense and important fact about her instead of coming right out and telling you."

"Hermione…" Harry perked up…

But Hermione was not finished. "I mean really, Harry, she has not been straightforward with you, not once! Why is she so secretive? Getting information from her is like pulling teeth!"

Ron smiled a little: trust Hermione, daughter of dentists, to use such a metaphor.

Hermione sat down next to Harry, huffing out her breath. "It's frustrating as hell!"

Harry looked at her askance, not used to hearing Hermione swear. She was mad as a hornet and so very protective of him; it was sweet and endearing. He reached over and gave her a side hug. "What do you want me to do, Mione? Hold her down and demand answers to questions I don't know exist?" _Actually, that sounds like a good idea…_

"What I'd really like to do," she growled, "is…"

Harry interrupted her with another hug. "You're just mad because you hate not knowing everything."

She looked into his face seriously. "No, I'm mad because it is so unfair to you. It's like she's messing about with you."

Harry sighed. _Just when I felt like I wasn't so mad at Rinna anymore…this comes along.

* * *

_

Rinna was catching up on housework, absentmindedly dusting the furniture while her mind replayed her conversation with Harry and his friends yet again. She had been wrong in thinking it would be easier to hear about Sirius' innocence and Peter's subterfuge the second time; yet she couldn't stop thinking about it now. And the prophecy by the Divination professor Harry told her about; she couldn't shake the feeling that it was true. His words had resonated in her soul as she felt the thrum of truth in them. She may have spent the last three years largely ignoring her magical birthright, but she could not escape her magical instincts. She felt it in her gut: Peter, who had been the traitor among them, was now returning to his master. Of this she had no doubt.

Her musings were interrupted when her foot struck a small hard object under the coffee table. Curious, she bent to pick it up. It was the ornamental glass top to the fire whiskey decanter she and Remus had emptied that day in June when he'd come to tell her about Sirius. _Well, we hadn't polished it off completely. There had been about a finger-width of liquor still left in the bottom that next day… _She sat on the couch, housework forgotten, absently twirling the glass top in her hand as she recalled that day yet again.

* * *

For a long time, Remus and Rinna sat on the couch in silence, completely still except for the occasional movement of bringing glass to lips and swallowing. When Rinna's glass was empty, he leaned forward to refill it. She brought it to her mouth, paused as if reconsidering, then tipped her head back and knocked it down in one fell swoop. She set the glass on the coffee table and indicated she needed a refill. Remus looked at her and frowned. She impatiently took the bottle from him and poured it herself. To his relief, she returned to merely sipping at the glass. She stared broodingly at the bottle on the table, refusing to meet his eyes for a very long time. Remus finished his drink, and started another.

Eventually she shifted her position on the couch and looked at Remus, her green eyes full of sadness. "Oh, Remus…" she breathed, full of regret, "how could I have believed that Sirius had killed Peter and all those people? It seems so obvious now."

"We were all manipulated, Rinna," he answered, "Each of us was given enough reason to doubt the others…"

"I'm so angry with myself, Remy!" she interrupted.

"I know. I feel the same way: angry and upset that I believed it at all."

She was quiet for a few moments. "All this time," she said softly, "I thought I was to blame…that I was the one who pushed him too far, pushed him over the edge, pushed him to Voldemort." She put her head in her hands, "because I had…because I broke his heart."

This was not new information to Remus. "Hey, luv, hey…" he reached his hand out to touch her shoulder. "Now you know it's not true. Doesn't it help to know that?"

She gave a mirthless snort. "It was bad enough, Remy, when I thought breaking off the engagement resulted in him cracking and turning coat. But now I feel even more terrible, knowing that he spent all those years in Azkaban, completely innocent and thinking that I didn't love him, thinking about what I'd said to him…" She lapsed into silence again.

Remus downed the remaining contents of his glass (_was this the second or third?)_ and poured more. He swirled the whiskey around, contemplating if he dared take the path of past deeds and recriminations any further. On the one hand, he felt it would be beneficial for her to talk about things and process her feelings for a change. On the other hand, it would require him to open some old wounds, too.

Rinna's actions had affected Remus as well, putting him in an untenable position with Sirius those many years ago. It had surprised him that she had acted the way she did, for she had never in all the years he had known her been cruel or selfish before. And then, **that night** happened and everything went wrong. He had never demanded an explanation for what she did, never talked to her about it, out of deference to her then fragile mental state, and later…well, later he had buried it deep enough that it didn't bear dragging out after all those years.

But now, the discovery of Peter's betrayal and Sirius' innocence was fresh in his mind, and he was angry with himself, and Rinna was playing her guilt and blame game again, and the whiskey was whispering to him to let down the walls a bit…He took a deep breath and tossed back the latest glass of liquor.

"I talked to him a few days after…after you broke it off. He was devastated," he told her. Her breath hitched in a gasping sob, but he didn't stop. Anger and resentment started to surface from where ever he had kept it buried for so long, fed by the slight inebriation he felt. "He thought that you and I were having an affair."

"Oh, god, Remus…oh no…" Rinna's gut wrenched. She had wounded her lover even more than she had ever realized. And wounded Remus, who, having never been anything but a proper gentleman around Rinna, had to defend himself to his best friend…

"Oh, don't worry;" he said with a bitter note to his voice, "I was finally able to convince him that we weren't. Though I think he would have felt better if it had been true. He couldn't think of any reason for you to end the relationship otherwise." He looked at her sullenly. "Neither could I." She remained still, head in her hands, not answering. He did _not_ tell her that Sirius _did_ think of one other reason why Rinna would call it off: that Rinna had been seduced by the enemy.

"Why _did_ you do it, Rinna?" he whispered harshly.

Rinna felt as if her heart had been spitted on the stiletto blade of his words. Why had she done it, the singularly biggest mistake of her life? She would never be able to explain adequately. But she had to try; she owed Remus an explanation, especially after unwittingly getting him involved. And, she realized, if she was ever in the position to do so, she owed Sirius one as well.

"I had managed to infiltrate far enough into my assigned targets in Voldemort's service," she began, "to be privy to information indicating that the Dark Lord had his eye on Sirius, to recruit him. Apparently it was at Bellatrix' behest." She was sweating with the effort, never getting louder than a whisper.

Remus looked at her sharply and realized that if she was revealing information about covert activities she had been involved in, then she must be fighting against a spell of compulsion. All operatives of the Order had undergone such compulsion spells voluntarily, in order to safeguard the strategies and secret plans of the Order. He opened his mouth to tell her to stop, but she raised her hand to him. "S'okay. Let me finish," she rasped.

The next part was said with less effort because she was no longer revealing Order secrets, but it somehow seemed far more difficult to get out. "I don't know…I just lost my sense of judgment, I suppose. I always did when he was concerned. I thought that I would be used as a means to bring him in, so if I made him hate me…he'd have no reason to come after me if I was used as bait…"

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Tell Dumbledore? Why didn't you tell Sirius what you knew?" Remus asked in despair, understanding her panic, but also seeing the fatal flaw in her thinking that led to so much heartache.

"I don't know! I DON'T KNOW!" she screamed as she shot up from the couch. She pulled at her hair and paced the living room. "Do you think that I don't ask myself those very questions every day, Remus? Do you think that I don't regret my actions?" Her voice raised in pitch in her anxiety. "I play in my head each thing I should have done differently, I come up with every 'what if' scenario. I made the worst decision of my life and I have regretted it every single second of every single day of the last thirteen years! I look back and see how stupid and naïve I was. Damn it, Remus, I was so young and so stupid…"

She reached for the whiskey decanter, but Remus pulled it away, concerned. "Pour me another effing glass, Remus," she growled dangerously. He capitulated, and poured. And watched her closely: she swayed, and took a large gulp from the glass.

She sat down next to him on the couch. "I had second thoughts, believe me. I had made up my mind to go to Sirius and tell him everything and beg his forgiveness when…" she faltered.

He finished her sentence in a somber voice: "When you were captured."

"Yeah…" she murmured. "I never had the chance."

Remus reached over and pulled her to him in a side hug. She laid her head on his shoulder. "Nothing has been right since that day, you know?" her voice was barely audible.

They downed their drinks and Remus poured more. He'd long ago lost track of how many he'd had. He was sure she'd had more. _Now's your chance, tell her how hurt you are. Tell her she's not the only one struggling with this…_the fire whiskey seemed to whisper in his head.

He cleared his throat. "Every close friend I had was taken away from me in a matter of days. Every one but you. And I feared I would lose you, too. Those days at St. Mungo's…I was so afraid of never getting you back." She reached for his empty hand, and squeezed it. "And once you were better, I never told you how angry I was at what you did to Sirius. I was afraid that I'd…"

"Push me back over the edge?" She finished for him.

"Yes… And then, you left me, and I was even angrier with you, Rinna. I felt…I don't know…like an orphan, abandoned and betrayed."

Rinna's heart stopped momentarily. She thought of the little boy, truly orphaned, whom she left as well. _The two people who remained, who meant more to me than anything, Remus and Harry…I left them…_

"It wasn't you…I didn't leave _you_, Remus. I told you why I had to go."

His voice was laced with sorrow. "My head understood your reasons for leaving, but my heart…my heart couldn't comprehend it."

She shifted her position on the couch, turning to him and gently placing her hand on the side of his face. "Oh Remy, why did you not tell me this when I returned to England?"

His eyelids slid closed; he felt blinded by the intensity of emotion in her intoxicatingly green eyes. "I was just glad to have you back, Rinna. You were back, you were hurting, and I didn't want to rock the boat. I just wanted everything to be all right between us."

He heard her breathe in sharply, and opened his eyes. He was startled to see her eyes welling with tears.

"How could things be all right between us when I have been such a miserably selfish bitch to you?" she cried. "I am so sorry; I didn't realize how much I had hurt you. That I hurt you when I hurt Sirius, when I left, and even now. I take your love and friendship for granted, don't I? How can you even bear to be around me, Remus?" The words tumbled without hindrance from her mouth, her head swam with the effects of the alcohol, and her ever-present facade was breaking apart.

He took her hand and tried to shush her, but she was not consolable. "You and Sirius…you were the two men I loved most in my life, and look what I did to each of you…" The tears that had been threatening to spill finally sprang forth and rolled down her cheeks, and she sat, unable to move, gasping and sobbing. Her body shook, and she couldn't stop crying.

Fueled by intoxication and overwhelmed by all she had learned that day, she broke down as Remus put his arms around her and pulled her to him, resting her head on his chest and running soothing hands up and down her back. He held her close to him and stroked her hair and her back and let her cry. _Maybe this will help her…please let this help her. _

After a very long time, Rinna pulled away from his chest and looked at the large wet stain on his shirt. "I'm suh…sorry…I slob…slobbered all over…you," she got out between shuddering breaths.

"S'okay," he said softly, and he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. He brushed his fingers along her forehead, pushing aside her hair that stuck there. She sighed, and leaned back against the couch, eyes closed.

He took her hand, remembering the trick she would do in school of pushing on pressure points in the hand to calm and soothe, and did his best to caress the points he could recall. "D'you feel any better?" His voice was deep with concern.

Her answer was faint and he had to lean in to hear, "Nothing makes me feel any better. I've done things for which I don't think I will ever be forgiven. I can't even forgive myself…"

"Rinna," his voice was just above a whisper. She opened her eyes and looked into his. "I forgive you, for all that is mine to forgive. Please do not torment yourself anymore; I can't bear it."

Rinna's mind reeled, stoked by mixed emotions and fire whiskey and a funny heaviness in her chest. "I don't know how to stop the guilt and the pain anymore. It's all spinning, out of my control. Help me, Remus," she whispered.

Remus watched as several tears spilled down her cheeks and moved, excruciatingly slowly, past the corner of her mouth. His eyes traced their path as the tears slid over her jaw and trickled down her neck, finally coming to rest in the hollow just above the breast bone. They shimmered there fuzzily as her chest rose and fell in little quivering movements. Mesmerized, he watched the pool of tears sparkle like a jewel at her throat. Without thinking, he leaned forward, and placed a kiss there.

He felt her sharp intake of breath when his lips touched her neck, and she squeezed his hand that was holding hers. He pulled away, tasting the salt of her tears on his lips. She was looking at him, her green eyes wide. Part of his mind screamed at him to stop before he crossed a line, but the alcohol singing in his veins made him bold. He cupped her face in his hand, tenderly wiping one last tear with his thumb. Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into the caress.

He pulled her to him into an embrace, tucking her head under his chin and stroking her back. Her hair smelled like herbs, or chamomile? He wasn't sure, so he inhaled her scent again. She smelled wonderful, and his stomach flip-flopped ever so slightly. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. She tilted her chin to look up at him, eyelids heavy over emerald orbs, full pink lips parted as she took a deep breath, a slight flush high in her cheeks.

His resolve broke. Ignoring the warning screaming faintly in the back of his head, he bent forward and captured her lips with his. She felt warm, and tasted of salt and whiskey. His heart pounded, and his breath hitched as she fisted her hand in his hair, pulling him to her and deepening the kiss. Remus felt all peripheral awareness slip away until his only thought was of her hot, demanding mouth and the exquisite sounds she was making deep in her throat. Her lips parted and the tip of her tongue traced his lower lip. Remus groaned and captured her upper lip with both of his before letting go and tracing kisses along her jaw to the base of her earlobe.

She leaned her head to the side, giving him access as he hungrily kissed her neck to the collar bone. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, as if she was sluggishly wading through all the fire whiskey she had consumed. A hint of a thought nipped at her suggesting that she should not be here on her couch with Remus so delightfully pressed up against her. She pushed away the thought; she just wanted to float in the alcohol-induced euphoria that clouded memories and felt so good. She hadn't been kissed so deliciously in so long, and Remus felt warm and smelled of soap and musk and…

Rinna took his face in her hands and dragged his mouth back to hers, kissing him urgently and thoroughly. Then she fluttered kisses on his cheeks and neck, finding a sensitive spot behind his ear. He groaned again as she lapped and nipped at the area with voracity, making half-whimpering, half-moaning sounds in his ear.

Remus took her with him as he stretched out on the couch, and he proceeded to return her kisses on her throat, collar bone, and down the opening of her blouse. He felt her hands untucking his shirt and slipping under the hem to stroke caressingly up to his nipples. Her hands seemed to cast spells that made his body buzz. He untangled his hand from her hair and unfastened the top button of her blouse, then lavished kisses on the soft skin between her breasts. He felt her tremble underneath him. He felt his body respond.

Rinna squirmed under him in a most enticing manner and he realized she was trying to roll him onto his back, which may have worked if not for the narrowness of the couch. She almost pushed him off, but he saved himself at the last minute by pressing the length of his body fully against her. His face landed conveniently right back in her décolleté, and not being a man to waste a good opportunity, he laved the spot with his tongue.

"Remy," she murmured huskily.

"Mmmm?"

"Remy, thish couch is too schm…too small for us."

"Mmm hmmm," he replied.

"Get up, silly."

"Where'm I going?"

"Someplace better," she slurred.

Miraculously, they managed to get to their feet, and Rinna grabbed his shirt front to keep from toppling over. He steadied her with his arms, and she tugged him down the hall. Their progress was slow, since they had to stop every step or so to lean against something. Rinna's knees seemed to have turned to jelly, and Remus was not much better off. They clung to each other and inched their way gradually toward her room. Rinna could not understand how her cozy house had gotten so large.

She giggled.

"Wha's so funny?" Remus wanted to know.

"I feel squiffy."

Remus snorted. "Tha's an undersh…an undershtatement if I've ever heard one!"

"Oh, look…we're here!" she said in surprise.

Remus eyes widened as he realized where they were, but she dragged him forward before he could protest. Not that he really wanted to protest. Next thing he knew he had tumbled with her into the bed. She used his momentum to roll him onto his back and she propped on one elbow above him. He knew he was leering at her drunkenly. She looked at him and smiled, her eyes slightly glassy. "Thish is better, dontcha think?" she asked thickly. He nodded, and regretted it as the room began to spin.

Rinna fumbled up to her hands and knees, which took a few attempts, and then crawled on top of him to straddle his thighs. She made the mistake of sitting up abruptly. "Ooooh…" she grabbed her head and swayed. "Too fast…"

She slumped back down and put her head on Remus' chest, and took some deep breaths. "I need to lie down." He put his arms around her and rolled slightly to the side so she settled on her hip, but her one leg was still draped over his thighs. Her head was in the hollow of his shoulder, and she sighed.

A minute passed. Then two. Remus' heartbeat began to slow slightly. He ran his hand down Rinna's back. "Rinna? Rin?" She stirred against him and murmured something unintelligible. He chuckled. He would try to rouse her in a minute, but first he just wanted to lay here and enjoy the feel of her warm body against him, and close his eyes for just a little while, until the spinning stopped…

----- -----

The sun had already set when Remus opened his eyes again; he was in an unfamiliar bed feeling rather inebriated and he couldn't feel his arm. His usually quick mind took a few extra heartbeats before he remembered where he was and who he was with_. I really should move to the couch, it would be the proper thing to do…_but he realized that he no longer wanted to do the proper thing, not with Rinna lying here in bed with him in his embrace. Besides, he knew there was no way he could make that long trek back to the living room without falling. He squirmed, trying to get his numb arm out from under her, and she stirred against him.

"Blackie?" she breathed.

Remus caught his breath. In a moment of clarity that cut through the alcohol haze Remus realized that he still was living in Sirius' shadow in all things where this woman was concerned. _That's the way it was back then, and nothing has changed…yet._

"No, luv, it's Remus."

"Oh, Remy," her words were still slurred. "I had the oddest dream 'bout Sirius…I dreamt he was innocent…"

"I know, Rinna. Now go back to sleep."

Despite the boldness imparted to him by the fire whiskey, he was too much of a gentleman to take advantage of her in her state of inebriety. Sighing in frustration, he moved his arm from under her and resettled her against him, holding her close and wishing that just this once, he might've been the man at the forefront of her conscious and subconscious thoughts.

----- -----

Early morning light came softly through the window. Rinna opened her eyes when she became cognizant that she was spooned with her back flush against a masculine form and an arm around her waist. _Remus _her mind identified for her. _Well, here's a fine situation_. She realized that she had never thought of someday finding herself in such a position, because she had been struggling to keep her heart from feeling anything, really, these last few years… and it had never occurred to her to think their relationship could be more than platonic. And certainly not as the result of imbibing in entirely too much alcohol.

Slowly and carefully, she turned over, feeling his hand slip across her belly as she did so. He stirred and tightened his arm around her possessively, but didn't wake; and damn, but she liked the way it felt to have his arm around her. Her face was close to his now, and she looked at him as he slept, eyes wandering over his familiar features: sandy hair shot through ever so slightly with hints of gray here and there, slightly darker brows and eyelashes hiding hazel eyes (she loved his eyes), handsome face that was marked by a few scars and the recently acquired scratches (the scars did not mar his features…only served to make him look a bit rakish).

A smile played at her lips as she remembered the first time Remus had spoken to her, truly spoken to her in a conversation, at the beginning of her fourth year at Hogwarts…_it was in the library, of course. He saw me working on my Transfiguration essay and sat down across from me. He smiled at me, and, oh sweet Merlin, that smile…I don't think I got any more work done that evening…_They had bandied about the essay topic for a bit, not even stopping as Lily joined them, until the Marauders had come along and commandeered him, no doubt for the perpetration of some mischief. She was thirteen years old, and she was smitten…

And now, a little more than twenty years later, he looked perfect, lying here in her bed with his arm draped around her. Her eyes widened in realization of what she was thinking. _Am I falling for Remus? Am I still drunk? What is going on?_ She knew she had better get her feelings for this man sorted out before…

Remus' hand tightened on her hip where it rested, then his eyes opened and looked right into hers. She watched as they widened in surprise, then darkened in color at the memory of the night before. He snatched his hand away from her body as if he'd been burned. To her chagrin, she blushed like the thirteen year old she'd just recalled. The situation was about as awkward as being caught necking in a broom closet by your Transfiguration professor. _What the hell? Why is my mind bringing up Sirius at a time like this? _It was time for some damage control.

"Uhm…Good morning," she said. _Oh that is just brilliant, girl!_

He rolled onto his back and groaned, "There is nothing good about the pounding in my head."

Rinna giggled. _Giggling? My stars, what has gotten into me? Stop it this instant, Rinna!_ "S'matter, old man, can't hold your liquor?"

He turned back again to look at her, scowling. "You mean to tell me that you are _not_ feeling any effects from the fire whiskey?"

"You mean the dull throb in my head, the dry mouth and the feeling that I'll be violently ill if I stand upright? Nope, hadn't noticed," she smirked wickedly.

"You are a vile wench! Remind me to never get drunk with you again."

"Why? Because we become too brutally honest with each other, or because we end up in bed together?"

Remus winced. "Look, about that…"

"Don't you dare apologize, Remus Lupin. We are both adults. There is nothing wrong with what we did…or didn't do, as the case may be."

He looked at her seriously, choosing his words carefully. "I won't deny that I am rather attracted to you, Rinna. It's just that…I don't want to do anything that would jeopardize our friendship."

She flopped back onto her back and sighed. "And you think that the two of us being more than friends would."

"I don't know." Part of him was screaming to just _tell her_ he wanted her as so much more than a friend, but the logical, practical part of him remembered her calling for Sirius while she lay in his arms. If Sirius was here now, he had no doubt which of the two she would choose. _Do I really want to get involved in a relationship when her heart belongs to someone else?_ The reckless side of him insisted _YES!_

She spoke quietly, "Thinking of disturbing the status quo scares me a little, too."

He propped up on his elbow to get a better look at her. "Let's just see what happens. Does that sound all right?"

She smiled at him. She knew she loved him dearly. Maybe they _should_ just see what develops. "Absolutely." She rolled to the other side, and carefully sat up.

"What are you doing?" Remus wondered.

"I'm going to attempt to crawl to the loo," she informed him, carefully cradling her head in her hands. She gamely heaved herself to her feet, and regretted it immediately. "On second thought, I think I'll just lie down."

"Looks like we are stuck here for a while."

She snorted. "Well, at least the company is nice. Certainly better than the last time I got completely pissed."

He didn't rise to the bait. "I'm not even going to ask."

It was the worst hangover either of them had had in a very long time.

* * *

Rinna looked into the glass top, watching as the light caught in the glass and made tiny rainbows. It occurred to her that she had spent a large portion of her life focusing on a period of less than two weeks. Granted, she had lost her fiancé, her best friend and her husband, her sanity and her godson. Some of that she could change, _like with Harry_, some of that she couldn't, _I miss you so much, Lily_, and some of that…well, time would tell.

Under girding all the pain, all the guilt, all the sorrow was anger: deep, righteous, soul-rendering anger. One person was responsible for this, the one person whose power she had sworn to contest till she no longer had breath in her body: Voldemort. She thought of the people she cared about…Remus, Harry, Dorrie, the Weasleys, Dumbledore, Sirius…none of them were safe if Voldemort returned to power.

Her hands gripped the glass stopper tightly. She had forsaken her oath long enough; now was the time to reclaim her power and the purpose she had set for herself when she left England. She _would_ somehow be instrumental in bringing the Dark Lord down... She took the glass top, and hurled it into the fireplace, listening in satisfaction as it splintered into tiny pieces. Her reticence shattered with it. She knew what she had to do now.

* * *

**A/N: Wondering what Bill's spells mean in English? Well, _resolvo veneficus_ dispel magic, _aspectus invisus_ see unseen. Latin courtesy of GameWyrd. **

**Well, it's the longest chapter yet. I'd like to know what you thought…so you know what to do. Mosey on down to the "review" button and leave me a review. I will be so very happy if you do!**

17


	7. The Best Laid Plans

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 7: The Best Laid Plans…**

**Disclaimer: This may come as a shock to you, but I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters. They do, however, seem to want to play around in my head, hence this story. Any characters or places or book titles you see here that you don't find in her books, well, they are products of my fertile and fevered imagination. **

Remus Lupin was strolling the last few blocks to Rinna's house deep in thought. He hadn't seen her since the last planning meeting before removing Harry from his Muggle family, and he hadn't heard from her since, either. Today he had a different reason for seeing her, for which he was glad because he'd realized he was gong to miss those tactical meetings. He had enjoyed having an excuse to see her every week. Not that he needed an excuse; she was his oldest friend, after all.

He was concerned for her. She was still distancing herself from the wizarding world, although she had conceded to allow her fireplace to be added to the floo network. That was a start. And she'd brewed them a hangover-relief potion last month, once she could finally stand up. But those instances notwithstanding, she was still keeping herself aloof.

He knew that she had come back to England a bit, well, spooked. As if she'd seen and experienced things she just wanted to forget. She had insisted on removing herself from the wizarding world, and fortunately, Albus Dumbledore had hit on a brilliant plan for her to be able to enter the Muggle world, yet maintain her wizarding ties. Despite that, he reflected, she had not been able to escape her demons.

Remus had hoped that meeting Harry would have pulled her out of her funk, even just a little bit. He had been the one who suggested enlisting her help to Dumbledore, who also had hopes of pulling her out of her shell. The two men became co-conspirators in their attempt to shake her from her reticence.

Her door swung open and she practically pounced on him as she eagerly pulled him inside. "I'm glad you are your usual prompt self, Remy! I've made a few changes to our plans, and we need to get going right away!"

"If you kept the hours of a normal person, and not some nocturnal creature, then we could have started much earlier, you know," he replied, amused.

She pulled a face at him, and then swept into the living room, carefully avoiding knocking over the parchments that were in stacks on her coffee table and couch. Remus surveyed the room in wonder: there were piles of papers, old leather bound books, an old ratty-looking trunk, _is that her broom from school?_, and many cauldrons of various sizes (and very well made) all marring the usual neatness of the room. He thumbed the nearest book; it was _Who's Who in the Wizarding World_. The one underneath it was _Ancient Magical Family Trees: the Wizard's Complete Guide to Pureblood Genealogy, annotated. _The other books seemed to be various texts, but on closer inspection of the titles, he knew they weren't from any classes she had taken at Hogwarts.

"What in Merlin's name…"

She interrupted him, "Could you grab those three medium-sized cauldrons and bring them to the kitchen for me, there's a good lad." She raised her eyebrow at him as she carried her largest cauldron with two hands and made for the kitchen.

He grinned at her suggestive look. He had to admit to himself that his infatuation for the red-head had not diminished at all. Frustratingly, they had not been able to explore any possibilities of progressing their relationship further; every time they had seen each other there had been others present. He was rather looking forward to having her all to himself for the rest of the day. He moved across the room to comply with her request.

His momentum was arrested by a very official looking parchment on the coffee table. It was brand new, freshly inked, and read: _Curriculum Vitae for Arinna Dunlevy_. He paused to glance at it in curiosity, carefully picking it up and reading. She had written him at least several times a year for those ten years she had spent studying abroad, and had told him some of the classes she had been taking, some of the Magical Arts she had chosen to pursue…but a quick glance showed him she had not been forthright in all that she had undertaken. _Left out some of the more interesting subjects, didn't you, Rinna dear? _Her academic record made his credentials to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts look rather puny, indeed. And he was no lightweight in the Dark Arts.

Her voice calling him from the kitchen interrupted his disturbing reverie. "Sorry! Hang on, I'm coming," he said quickly as he grabbed the cauldrons by the handles and double-timed it to the kitchen.

"I thought I said we were in a hurry?" she said acerbically as he set the cauldrons on the table with a clang.

"I was distracted by the mess out there," he smirked. "What are you up to, anyway?"

"I am taking a page out of the Remus Lupin book of employment. And no, that doesn't mean I'm going to get all hairy once a month and get myself sacked!" she teased playfully.

"I was not sacked. I resigned," he said with dignity. "And what in the hell are you talking about?"

She laughed at his puzzled expression. "I…am going to be an educator!"

"What?"

"An educator. A teacher, a professor, a tutor…" she huffed with some impatience.

"Yes, I know what an educator is, silly. But just where are you planning on embarking on this new career?" His eyes widened as he made the connection between what she was saying and what he'd seen in the living room. "You are not considering what I think you are considering…"

Now it was her turn to look puzzled. "What do you mean? How could you know what I'm considering? I only just told you…"

He stepped up to her and took her by the shoulders. "I think you are looking to hire yourself out as a private tutor in the Dark Arts to a Dark Wizarding family."

Her mouth fell open in shock. She blinked stupidly several times. Remus almost smiled at how comical her expression was. She closed her mouth with a snap and said, "I know I am a top notch Occulomens. There is no way you could have pulled that from my head. How in all the bloody moons of Jupiter did you…"

"I saw your curriculum vitae out there." He let go of her, rubbing her shoulders where he had been gripping rather tightly. "I must say, with your credentials, you are the dream tutor that all the top Dark families are looking for…the Malfoys, the Notts, the Goyles would all be giving their eyeteeth to have you…"

"None of them have primary school-aged children anymore." she smirked, feeling a bit disturbed that she was secretly pleased at his praise.

He stopped to consider her. "Well, you have certainly been doing your homework," he said. "But seriously, Rinna, don't you think it is just a bit counter-productive to our plan of routing Voldemort if you are out there teaching little future Death Eaters the Dark Arts?"

"No, no, that's not it. I would be on the inside again, able to get information on what Voldemort is planning…" The look on his face stopped her.

"Are you drunk?" He asked bluntly.

Now she was mad, and insulted. "What?"

"I asked, are you drunk? Because that's the only explanation I can think of for this insane plan of yours. In case you don't recall what happened to you the last time you were 'on the inside' let me just remind you that you ended up in the hands of Voldemort himself…"

"I know…"

"And you were abused, and you lost your m…"

"I KNOW!" She glared viciously at him.

He absorbed her glare impassively. "I will be damned," he said clearly and deliberately, "if I ever let you get involved with Death Eaters or near that crazy bastard Voldemort again."

He held her gaze, and she saw the determination in his eyes. She would not be able to persuade him of the validity of her plan, she could see that. She sighed and slumped into a chair at her table, leaning forward and smacking her forehead onto her arms crossed on the tabletop.

He sat next to her, pushing the cauldrons out of his way, and bravely reaching over to stroke her hair. "What has gotten you into this frenzy all of a sudden, anyway? I thought you were keeping a low profile."

She liked the way his hands felt in her hair, so she didn't lift her head to speak. "Something that Harry told me. I'm convinced that we will see the Dark Lord quite hale and hearty in the near future, Remus."

"What did Harry tell you?" he wondered.

She reluctantly lifted her self up and proceeded to tell him about the prophecy made by Professor Trelawney.

Remus thought for several moments about what Rinna had told him. He took a deep breath in through his nose. "I'm afraid I'm rather of the same mind as Hermione about Sybil Trelawney," he said. "I wouldn't put much stock in what…"

She cut him off. "Where else will Peter go? He's always gravitated to someone big enough and powerful enough to protect him. Besides, I just know it is true." She gave a little shudder.

He looked at her sharply. "Having a moment of precognition, are we?"

"Yes," she whispered. "You know I've been right about Voldemort in the past…"

He felt goosebumps prickle his skin. "All right. I'll agree that this changes things. But I would feel much better if you talk with Albus before you send out any letters of intention to any wizarding families." He took her chin in his hand and turned her to look at him. He locked her eyes with his. "Will you agree to that?"

She considered a moment before nodding her head in acquiescence. Remus breathed an inward sigh of relief. He stood up from the table and looked at the cauldrons. "So, have you decided that brewing potions in your saucepans is an inferior art form?" he teased her, again remembering the potion she had whipped up to relive the agony left by the fire whiskey they'd consumed.

His words brought her back to the present task. She quickly stood up, snapping her fingers. "We have got to get to Diagon Alley! We have an appointment! And yes, I want to make sure this next potion I brew is absolutely perfect. So I did a little unpacking."

Remus grabbed her hand. "Thank you for taking this on for me," he told her quietly.

"The Wolfsbane potion? Of course I would take it on. I need to watch out for you, you know. If I'd known you were going to use an old potion that was supposed to be used up in June, I'd have pulled out the cauldrons sooner," she chided him. She had been upset when he owled her to tell her that his last transformation had not gone well because the efficacy of the potion Snape had brewed him had worn off a bit in storage, and would she consider brewing him a new batch?

She lifted her hand to his face and patted his cheek. "And thank you for going all protective on me a few moments ago, you chivalrous old wolf, you." She smiled at him.

"I need to watch out for you, too. You're the only school chum I have left." He placed his hand over hers and pressed her hand into his cheek. She put her other hand on the other side of his face and pulled him down, brushing his lips with a sweet, chaste kiss.

"You are too good to me, Remus Lupin," she said to him lightly. "And I'm not the only one you have left, or have you forgotten that you have Sirius back?"

Her phrasing was not lost on him: _**you** have him back, not **we** have him back_. He sighed. "Sirius is on the run, and hopefully well hidden. And I hope he stays that way until his name is cleared. There isn't much chance of me seeing him till then."

"All the better for me to hog your protective person to myself, then," she said with satisfaction and smiled up at him.

Seemingly of their own accord, one of his hands cupped her jaw while the other slipped to the back of her neck. He pulled her in for another kiss, this time not so chaste. "Hog me all you want," he said hoarsely, before kissing her deeply again.

Her arms were slipping around his neck when the hall clock bonged once. Much to Remus' dismay, Rinna tore her lips away from him. "Damn it! It is half past eleven! We have an appointment right now!" She grabbed his wrist and tugged him back to the living room, snatching up her money purse and a shopping list on the way.

"What appointment? What are you talking about?"

"I'll tell you after we floo. Let's go!" She indicated the bowl of floo powder on the mantel.

Soon they were walking quickly down the sidewalk in Diagon Alley. "We are meeting Dorrie for lunch at the Rusty Rapier!"

Remus groaned. _Well, there go any plans for "alone time"_ he thought frustratedly. "Thanks for giving me so much advanced warning!"

"Oh, shut it. She is my only girlfriend. I've missed her since I moved out." Suddenly, Rinna stopped in her tracks.

"What is it?" Remus asked with concern.

"I was just thinking. Do you think we should tell her…" she leaned closer to Remus, "about Sirius? He was her favorite cousin and she was very upset about what happened with him…"

"I suppose. But not here in Diagon Alley…too much possibility of someone overhearing us."

"Agreed." She frowned in thought. "Let's invite her to my place for dinner and tell her then." She did not see Remus' face fall, nor any of the emotions that flickered briefly across his face. Remus schooled his features to an impassive look, grunted an affirmative, and they resumed their brisk walk, arriving shortly at the little out of the way pub Dorrie favored.

"Sorry we're late," Rinna apologized as she slipped in the booth next to her former roommate. "Remus and I were…uh…"

"Discussing employment options." Remus interjected smoothly.

"Wotcher, Remus, Rinna!" they were greeted. "I wasn't waiting long."

"Hello, Tonks. Long time, no see," Remus replied. He took in her short black hair shot through with streaks of burgundy and purple. Somehow, she always managed to pull off her outrageous styles without looking ridiculous.

"Sorry that it didn't work out for you at Hogwarts, Remus," Tonks told him.

He glanced at Rinna, then back to Tonks. "Well, you're all caught up with my life, then. How is the Auror business going for you?"

"Well, at least I'm not considered a newbie any more." She smiled. "It is going fine, I think." She turned to Rinna. "So tell me, how did 'Operation Extraction' go?" Tonks' eyes twinkled in anticipation of a good story.

They took a moment to order lunch, then Rinna recounted the story of retrieving Harry from the Dursleys. They were all careful to not say any names; secrecy was second nature to these three.

"So, what do you think of him?" Tonks asked. Remus had been about to ask that very question. He leaned in to hear Rinna's answer.

"Well, he reminds me very much of his mother."

"You think so?" Remus asked. "He reminds me very strongly of his father."

"Oh, no. He may _look_ a lot like his father, but he is more like his mother," she argued.

Remus snorted. "Well, you haven't seen him in action at Hogwarts; has a real knack for mischief, that one."

It was Rinna's turn to snort. "Methinks _that_ is the pot calling the kettle black! It takes one to know one, Remy." Everyone laughed. Rinna sat back with a sigh. "I think I frustrate him. He wants to know everything, and he doesn't let up. It's been really hard…to tell him…things…"

Her companions nodded, discerning what she meant. It was nice, to be sitting here with the two people who knew her best, Remus and Dorrie, and not have to explain anything because they already understood. She reflected on the brilliance of the circumstances that had connected her with Dorrie almost three years ago.

Nymphadora Tonks had been living at home while pursuing her Auror training, and, quite frankly, her parents had been driving her mad. She had desperately wanted to get a place, but could not afford it on her meager salary as a part-time barmaid. Her former headmaster had provided the solution: Arinna Dunlevy. The two women had gotten a flat (which Tonks still rented) and Tonks had tutored Rinna in the ways of Muggle living. She had helped Rinna find a job at the same pub she worked at; it had turned out that Rinna had a knack for bartending, which Tonks had laughingly attributed to Rinna's aptitude for Potions.

Fortunately, Tonks' mother, Andromeda, had been all for the arrangement, as she had met Rinna many years before on the arm of her dashing young cousin, Sirius. Andromeda was a shrewd judge of character, and felt Rinna might be a good influence on her daughter. Rinna and Dorrie had hit it off well, despite an eleven year age difference, and became fast friends, and later, confidantes.

The arrangement probably could have gone on indefinitely, but Tonks had graduated to a full-fledged Auror and was making a decent salary finally and could afford her own place, which had been a dream of hers. Rinna had become quite comfortable in the non-magical world, and felt confident she could live on her own. She had harbored a longing for a cute little house for a while. So the two went house shopping for Rinna and that was that. Rinna had moved out a year ago, but they kept in touch at least once a week and remained close friends.

Rinna was pulled back to the present by the snapping of fingers in front of her face. "Hey, Dunnie! Come back to earth!" Tonks teased.

"Sorry! Was daydreaming for a minute, there." Rinna grinned sheepishly.

Remus leaned back in the booth and watched as the two girls playfully bickered. He grinned. Dunnie and Dorrie they called each other. No one else was allowed to use those names. They were, he realized, the two women he'd ever felt the most comfortable around. _They each know my secret and accept me in spite of it._ He enjoyed the company of both of them, he decided, very much. He determined he would forgive Tonks her unwitting disruption of the agenda he'd had for the day.

"Are you planning on finishing that?" he asked, pointing to the remains of Tonks' lunch.

"Nah," she said, pushing it across the table to him. "You can have it."

Rinna frowned. "I knew you were going to starve if you stayed at Mundungus' place," she said darkly.

Tonks grinned as Remus responded, escalating the conversation to a full-scale wrangle. They went at it like an old married couple. She was awed to think their friendship spanned more than twenty years, although she knew they'd been apart for ten of those years. She wondered why they just didn't give in to the inevitable and hook up. Tonks certainly found Remus attractive, and Dunnie had confessed to having a schoolgirl crush on him in their days at Hogwarts…_ah well, maybe now that Remus isn't up north at Hogwarts._ She would give her friend six months to get her act together and date the handsome Professor…if she didn't, _well then it is open season on a certain wolf for me. _

"Listen, Dorrie," Rinna had turned to her, "would you like to join us for dinner tonight? We have something we need to tell you."

_Wow, that was fast!_ Tonks thought. "I have nothing planned, so I'd love to."

They paid the bill and left the pub.

"All right, then," said Remus, offering an arm to each of them, "where to?"

"Potion ingredients first, then to a stationery store for Duplicating Parchment, and I have got to find a birthday present for Harry," Rinna said firmly.

"Did I tell you that I have been invited to his party?" Remus asked her.

"Fantastic! But were you invited to the pre-party Quidditch match?" Rinna grinned. "You should come watch. I'm sure it will be very entertaining…"

The three turned and worked their way down the street arm in arm.

* * *

It was late when Tonks emerged from her fireplace in the living room of her flat. She stumbled clumsily to her room and flopped on her bed. It had been a long and enjoyable day, and the young metamorphmagus had been anticipating dinner with her friends the entire time. Much to her chagrin, however, there had not been any confessions of a torrid romance, but instead the rather startling news that Sirius was innocent and had been framed.

Now that would take some getting used to. She sighed and realized she probably wasn't going to get much sleep tonight as she was going to be busy trying to wrap her head around all the implications of this news: how it would affect her, Rinna, Remus, the entire wizarding world that she was now pledged to protect and serve…

She sat up abruptly with a snap of her fingers. _Of course! I have connections!_ A self-satisfied smile began to take over her face. She vowed she would certainly be using her spare time and resources in an all-out effort to clear her cousin's name.

* * *

"Hey."

Remus was startled to find Rinna at his elbow holding the now nearly empty bottle of wine from dinner. "Hey yourself." He was in a somber mood, thinking of Sirius and worried for his friend's safety. Retelling the story had brought Sirius to the front of his thoughts, which, in turn, had made him very conflicted about his feelings for Rinna. He turned from the window he'd been staring out of to her, and noticed she had changed into a low cut blouse and tight skirt. _Great. She has to work tonight._

"Want to help me finish this off?" she asked, "There is enough for a few swallows for each of us, and I have a little bit of time before I have to go to work. My shift starts at eleven."

"All right," he agreed, taking the bottle from her and taking a few sips from it.

She lightly slapped at his arm. "Ewww. I meant for you to drink from a glass, you know!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "So you've kissed me before, on more than one occasion, I might add,…spanning several decades, I might add…and you are squeamish about sharing a nearly depleted bottle of wine with me?" He handed the bottle to her with a challenging gleam in his eye and gestured for her to drink up.

"I say! That is so very unfair: bringing up things I did as a silly little thirteen-year-old."

"Actually, if I recall correctly, it was your fourteenth birthday, although I was under the impression it was your fifteenth at the time…"

She pulled the bottle from her lips and smiled. "I had such a crush on you then."

He took the bottle from her again. "Really?" he looked at her closely.

"Really." Her smile widened.

"Wish I had known that about twenty years ago." He swigged the rest of the wine, and handed the bottle to her.

She eyed the empty bottle in her hands. "Of course," she said teasingly, "you were much more of a gentleman back then…"

"I'll have you know," he said in his most stately manner, "that I am still a gentleman."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, and I'll prove it."

She cocked her eyebrow and smirked, "Go ahead, then."

He raised a finger in a most professor-like manner. "Case in point: You have been standing in front of me in that outfit, looking dead sexy, for nearly five minutes now, and I have not yet ravaged you."

Rinna threw her head back and laughed merrily. "Point well taken," she said with a saucy grin. "With 'yet' being the operative word, I presume?"

"It certainly could be." He leered wickedly at her. Then, his expression softened. He took the bottle from her hands and set it on the coffee table, and took her now empty hands in his.

"Look, Rinna. I've spent most of today hoping to get you alone so that we could talk about whether or not we should try to make a go of this…"

"Don't."

He stopped, taken aback. "Don't what?"

She looked at him seriously. "Don't ask me how I feel about us. I am afraid to feel…When I feel…it hurts…"

He took her in his arms and held her tightly.

"It hurts…except…"

"Except what?" he whispered.

"Except when I'm with you. When I am with you, Remus, I almost feel like I might be all right again." She wrapped her arms around him and sighed.

He held her close, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Hey," he said eventually.

She pulled away from him a little and looked up at him, a ghost of a smile on her face. "Hey yourself."

He grinned at that. Then his face sobered. "I'm not going to rush you, or anything. I can be patient when I set my mind to it…"

Her smile still played at her lips. "Really? Because that is a virtue that I've never seemed to acquire."

"I'm trying to be serious, here, Rinna."

"Remy, I don't want to analyze or strategize or whatever. I'm tired of analyzing everything, every thought and emotion that pops into my head. I don't want to talk about it, I don't want to scrutinize it. I just want…"

"What? What is it you want?" he murmured. The clock in the hallway bonged once. _Half past ten._

She sighed. "I just want us to snog each other senseless until I have to go to work, and revel in how good it feels."

Remus Lupin was not an idiot. He pulled her back tightly in his arms and said in a most gentlemanly way, "Your wish is my command, my lady."

* * *

**A/N: Please head to the "go" button below and tell me what you thought of it. I'm hoping to get one more chapter out before July 16, but after that…I'll be tucked away reading _HP and the Half Blood Prince. _But then again, so will everyone else, and no one will be reading fan fiction anyway!**

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	8. Romantic Intuition

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 8: Romantic Intuition**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters. If I did, then I'd be typing this from my vacation home in Cozumel. And my cabana boy would be bringing me chilled drinks with little paper umbrellas in them. Shirtless. Sigh…any characters you see here that you don't find in her books, well, they are products of my fertile and fevered imagination. **

**A/N: I know, I know…I was a long time getting this up. Was it worth the wait? Well, when you are done reading, go to the review button and tell me!

* * *

**

Harry sat up in his bed in Ron's room, the first hints of dawn creeping from behind the curtains. He'd been roused from a vaguely disturbing dream that seemed to slip from his memory as soon as he woke. He was filled with foreboding and rubbed absently at the scar on his forehead as he tried to orient himself. Then he heard what had originally woken him: a tap-tap-tap at the window. He got up and opened the curtains to the barely breaking day, fumbling with the catch before opening the window. Hedwig flew in silently and landed on the footboard of Harry's bed. He padded over to her and retrieved the letter from her outstretched leg.

"How is he, girl?" he whispered softly. Hedwig hooted serenely and started preening. Harry took this to mean all was well with Sirius. He opened the letter, and read it.

_Dear Harry,_

_Arinna Dunlevy is your godmother, although why she has not revealed that fact to you, I cannot fathom. On my discovery last year that you had been placed with your aunt and uncle, I had my doubts about where her loyalties lie, as she was to be your guardian should anything happen to me (per your parents' wishes). I wish I could tell you that you can trust her, but I honestly cannot guess as to her motivation for coming back into your life after all these years. At best, I can say be careful, and if you have any doubts or suspicions, contact Dumbledore or Lupin. I will be, of course, seeking out additional information about her and I will contact you as soon as I know anything more. I suspect we will be seeing each other sooner than we expected._

_Take care of yourself,_

_Sirius_

Two hours later, Ron woke to find Harry sitting on the window seat with his knees drawn up to his chin, staring out the window in thought.

"What's up, Harry?" he queried. Harry held the letter out to him. Ron padded over to take it and sat down on the opposite end of the window seat to read it.

"What's he mean when he says 'I had my doubts about where her loyalties lie?'" Ron wondered.

"Dunno," was Harry's lackluster reply.

"And why would he think we can't trust her? He was going to marry her, or did marry her, right?"

"Dunno."

Ron's musings were interrupted by a gentle rapping at the boys' bedroom door, soft enough to not wake them had they been sleeping, but loud enough for them to hear now.

Ron moved quietly to the door and opened it to reveal Hermione looking sleepy with wild hair everywhere.

"Oh, so you _are_ awake, then. I was hoping you were. I couldn't get back to sleep." She glanced to Harry in the window, who was staring out on the now pink and orange sky despondently. "What's going on with him?" she asked Ron softly.

Ron handed her the letter from Sirius. She looked at it curiously as she walked over to Harry's bed and sat on the edge to read, absently patting Hedwig as she passed.

When she was done, she looked at Ron. She raised her eyebrows inquiringly, jerking her head toward Harry. Ron knew what she was asking: _is he all right?_ He frowned and shook his head slightly, giving a small shrug: _I'm not sure…he won't talk to me._ Hermione nodded in comprehension, got up from the bed, and moved to sit with Harry in the window.

"All right, Harry?" she asked quietly.

But Harry was not all right. He had been stunned by Sirius' letter: not by the suspicious tone; not by all the things that were said, or left unsaid; but by the implication that Sirius was coming back to England. _I suspect we will be seeing each other sooner than we expected. _

He turned to Hermione, face full of self-reproach. "He's coming back here, Mione. He's risking himself and returning all because I wrote that wretched note asking for information about Rinna." He smacked his forehead with his hand. "I'm so stupid! Why did I write him? He doesn't have any answers for me; he's been in Azkaban all this time. All I did was get him worried and thinking he had to come back to protect me, and why? Because I was too impatient to wait for answers!"

"Harry, you don't know for sure that Sirius is coming back…" Hermione started.

Harry interrupted, "Look at the last line. He's coming back. Why else would he say we will be seeing each other sooner than expected?" He pulled the letter from Hermione's hand, his voice rising in pitch in his anxiety. "And look at this part. It says he will be seeking out more information about her. He's going to be putting himself out there asking questions and jeopardizing his safety, and the worst thing is, it will be for nothing. I already have gotten answers to my questions."

"Have you, Harry?" Hermione asked sharply, "Have you really gotten answers?"

This brought Harry up short and reined in his hysteria. "What do you mean, Mione?"

"I mean that _she_ hasn't really given you many answers." Hermione began to tick off her points on her fingers. "She told you she was friends with your mum, but hasn't told you anything about her, really. She let you discover she was your godmother in a roundabout way. She hasn't even told you about her relationship with Sirius!"

Harry and Ron, who had pulled up a chair to join them by the window, were slightly taken aback by her vehemence.

"Don't you think she would mention something as important as being the fiancée of your godfather?" she demanded.

"Well," Ron said thoughtfully, "Sirius doesn't mention it either."

Hermione's mouth snapped shut on what she was going to say next, as her eyebrows moved closer together in puzzlement. She pulled the letter from Harry's hands. "You're right!"

Harry took the letter back and scanned it again. "I didn't even notice that. Why wouldn't he tell me that, you know, he has a history with her?"

Hermione left the window seat to pace about the room in thought. She turned to the boys and said, a bit dramatically, "Perhaps it is a _checkered_ history with her, and that's why he hasn't mentioned it."

Ron chortled. "A 'checkered history?' Really, Hermione, have you been reading my mother's romance novels? Where do you come up with something like that?"

Hermione's eyes flashed, and her cheeks reddened in anger. She crossed her arms and glared at Ron. "Just because you have all the romantic intuition of a tree stump…"

Ron was actively hooting with laughter now and Harry was smiling. "Romantic intuition?" Ron howled. "Since when did nose-in-a-book, practical, rational, no-nonsense Hermione Granger develop 'romantic intuition?'"

Harry grabbed Ron's arm. "No, no. It's a genetic thing. All girls have 'romantic intuition chromosomes' you see. They can lie dormant for long periods of time, but suddenly spring to life…"

"Fine," Hermione snarled, "If you want to make fun of me, fine. But I'm not going to stay here and listen." With a defiant toss of her hair, she turned and stalked toward the door.

Instantly, the smile fled from Harry's face. "No, wait, Hermione!" He jumped up and crossed the room to grab her arm just as she reached for the doorknob. "Please don't go." He spun her around and looked at her earnestly. "We're sorry for poking fun, aren't we, Ron?"

Ron managed to pull a reasonably convincing penitent face and nodded vigorously.

"Besides, I really want to hear your 'checkered history' theory," Harry said cajolingly while flashing his most winning smile at her.

Hermione relented. It was rather hard to stay mad at Harry when he gave her the smile at full voltage. "Oh, all right. As long as you two will stop being absolute prats about it."

"Can't help it," Ron quipped. "It's genetic. We have those 'absolute prat chromosomes,' you know."

"Yeah," Harry agreed as he led Hermione back to the window seat. "They're located right next to the 'belching and passing gas chromosomes.'"

Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled. "Honestly, I don't know why I put up with you two."

"Why, it's because we are the wittiest and most charming blokes you know!" declared Ron, puffing out his chest a bit.

"Oh yeah, _that's_ the reason," she retorted sarcastically. She settled herself more comfortably in the window seat and looked up. A pair each of green and blue eyes was trained on her, radiating genuine interest in what she had to say. As infuriating as those two could be, it was moments like this that reminded her how good they were for her self-esteem. She loved it when they hung on her every word, impressed and admiring.

"C'mon, Mione," Harry wheedled, turning on the charming smile once again. "Enlighten us on your 'checkered history' theory."

"Yes, O brilliant one, impart your wisdom upon us." Ron bowed over her hand and kissed it dramatically.

Oh yes. Those two really knew how to work her, didn't they? She picked up the letter and perused it. "Well…notice the hostile tone. He only mentions her name once. He questions her loyalty, whether or not she can be trusted…doesn't sound like someone who is all lovey-dovey over her, now does it?"

"You're right, it doesn't," Harry mused.

"And it stands to reason," Hermione continued, "that he wouldn't question her loyalty unless she had done something disloyal before."

Harry squirmed uncomfortably. "Ah come on, Mione, that's all just speculation. Besides, he questioned her loyalty because I was placed with the Dursleys, and we all know why she didn't take me in. So he's wrong; it's not that she was disloyal, it was because she was, well, hospitalized."

"Well, I still say he doesn't sound like someone who is in love with her. I think they had a falling out, and the relationship went bad."

"Mione, how can you get that from one short letter?" Ron wondered.

"Not just the letter. Look at what else we know." Again, she began to tick off her points on her fingers. "He didn't mention their relationship, and she hasn't either. She hid all the pictures of him, like she didn't want to be reminded of him."

"Then why didn't she just remove the pictures?" Harry asked.

Hermione waved his words aside. "And he never asked you about her that night at Hogwarts, you or Professor Lupin."

It was Ron's turn to protest. "There was no time. They were dealing with Pettigrew and then Lupin turned into a werewolf! And then you were busy helping Sirius escape. Not really any chance to say, 'Excuse me, but would you happen to know about my wife, fiancée, whatever?'"

"And I don't think they ever were married, by the way," she continued on, blithely ignoring Ron.

"Hang on, what make's you say that?" questioned Ron.

"Honestly, Ron, it is so obvious," she snapped.

"Why don't you pretend we're idiots, and spell it out for us?" suggested Harry.

"I don't have to pretend," she muttered. Then she declared, "There are no wedding pictures in her album. And her last name isn't 'Black.'"

"Well, maybe she didn't change her name. Some witches don't, you know. And maybe she put her wedding pictures in another album," Ron countered.

"And maybe I'm right!" Hermione's voice increased in volume to override Ron's. "Don't you think I could be right?" She turned to Harry.

"I dunno," he pondered. "What you are saying does make sense…but…"

"But what, mate?" asked Ron.

"Well, it just seemed that, when we were telling her about Sirius and Pettigrew and everything…well, she seemed to _want_ to hear about him. And she didn't act like she was angry, but more like she was…sad, you know?"

"Oh," said Hermione, taking this in. Harry was right. She started to recalculate her assessment.

Ron snapped his fingers. "Suppose that _he_ broke it off with _her_, and _she_ is still in love with _him_. That would make sense, then."

Hermione and Harry both stared at him, mouths open.

"What?" Ron demanded, "Maybe I do have more 'romantic intuition' than a tree stump, after all."

"Highly doubtful, dear," countered Hermione, patting Ron on the shoulder patronizingly, "but that was some good deductive reasoning. There may be hope for you yet."

"Gee, thanks, Miss Megabrain!" he snarked.

Harry let out a huge sigh. "The truth is, we have no idea about any of this stuff. We're just going around in circles."

"Well we do know that Sirius doesn't have any answers for Harry about her," Hermione pointed out. "In fact, _we_ know more about her since the night that Harry's parents…uh, since that night, than _he_ does."

"And we know that he's coming back to England to find out more about her," Harry added.

Hermione started to protest, "Harry, we don't know for sure that Sirius is coming back…"

"_I_ know, Hermione," Harry interrupted with conviction. "I just know."

There was a long, thoughtful pause. Then Ron spoke, "If he _is_ coming back, then he is probably going to come here. I think we should tell my folks about this. I sure would hate for Mum and Dad to have a coronary when Sirius shows up at our doorstep."

"You're right, Ron," said Hermione quietly. "And it would be awful if someone acted first and asked questions later."

They both looked to Harry. "I suppose you are right," he said reluctantly. He was worried about exposing Sirius' secret to too many people. But if he _was_ coming to the Burrow… "I guess we should do it before your dad leaves for work, then."

They all stood up, and Hermione and Ron moved toward the door. When it was opened, the yummy smell of rashers of bacon being cooked up assailed their noses, and three stomachs growled in unison. "And we can eat breakfast at the same time," grinned Ron happily as he left the room with Hermione.

Harry paused at his bed, pulled out the green album and flipped to the pages with pictures of Sirius and Rinna. They looked so happy, like they were giddy-in-love. He didn't want to believe Hermione's theories, or Ron's for that matter. He really wanted for them to still be in love; he wanted the hope that they could be his godparents together, that the three of them could be a family. It was all he could think about since the charm had been taken off the pictures. He closed the album and slowly turned toward the door.

* * *

Rinna kicked off her high heeled shoes and changed into yoga pants and a t-shirt. She glanced at the clock: a quarter to three. She'd only worked three and a half hours, but she was tired from the day before that she had spent with Remus and Dorrie. Unfortunately, she could not do what she wanted to do, which was go to sleep and wake up around noon. She had to reset her internal clock if she was to attend the festivities for Harry's birthday tomorrow, so she planned on staying up now and not going to bed until this evening. Ugh. The thought of a job with normal daytime hours was very tempting, but she had promised Remus she would talk to Albus, and she would keep her word.

Since there was little else she could accomplish at three in the morning, she took out parchment and began writing to Dumbledore. She heard the clock strike the hour. About twenty-five minutes later, she felt she'd written a small novel, but was satisfied with her letter, and she attached the curriculum vitae to the letter before shrinking both down to a more manageable size. She'd post it later in the day.

The hall clock struck once, bringing her head up and snapping her into a pleasant memory of a very well spent 15 minutes with Remus a few hours ago. It was nice, she reflected, to kiss just for the sake of kissing, with no ulterior motives. Granted, their time had been limited, so there wasn't much chance to progress further, but the last time she could remember when kissing had been the means to an end and not just foreplay was back in school…_with Sirius_ her mind whispered to her.

Well, yes, with Sirius, of course, but there had been that time, as Remus had reminded her, on her fourteenth birthday, before she had ever thought of Sirius as anything other than a self-centered annoying git who thought he was God's Gift to Women. That time when she and Remus had kissed for five wonderful minutes. If she hadn't been so naïve, so inexperienced, she would have realized the genuine chemistry they had had, and things may have turned out a lot differently… As it was, it took snogging a few other boys to realize that the whole knee-wobbling, tummy turning, getting all warm down there feeling was not a common one, and by then it was too late to think about pursuing anything with Remus… Sirius Black had entered her stratosphere.

She shook her head with annoyance. That was twice now in about as many minutes that Sirius had snuck into her thoughts about Remus. She paused. And that time when she woke up with Remus in her bed last month, he'd popped into her head then. And yesterday, when they were walking to the pub…

Her eyes swept the room and landed on the Silver Dart. The memory it had brought to her mind a few nights ago had been so vivid…

She growled in vexation. She used to be so good at blocking him out…what happened? _You started opening your heart a little; opening it to Harry and to Remus._ She stood stock still. Her boys. She had locked them all away in her heart for different reasons all those years ago. All three of them: Harry, Remus and…Sirius, had been barricaded away so she wouldn't feel the pain of losing two of them and leaving the third.

She began pacing the living room in frustration. So if she was carefully letting Harry and Remus out, well it stood to reason that Sirius would insist on barreling out too. A specter of a smile tugged at her lips; that was also very in-character for Sirius, making sweeping entrances onto the stage in her mind and demanding she rip her thoughts away from Remus and focus the spotlight on him. Once he had crossed the trajectory of her orbit back at school, that was how things had been. He'd always made it impossible for her to entertain thoughts about any other bloke because suddenly he would be there; captivating her, his outrageous personality pulling her in like a magnet attracts a nail…

She ripped herself away from the memory so forcefully that she physically jerked her body, and collided with the old trunk she had set on the ottoman, causing it to tip over and fall. With an exasperated sound, she dropped to her knees and began picking up the items that had spilled. Old papers, hair clips, drawings, Quidditch wrist guards, notebooks filled with old Potions notes, school books, a Muggle LP featuring that American boy that Lily had been infatuated with, oh what was his name? Oh, yes, David Cassidy…

Damn it, why did she have to spill that trunk, anyway. She was trying to get away from memories, not conjure up more of them! She resolved to slam all the items back into the trunk as fast as she could pick them up and was doing an admirable job of it…_You still have those Quidditch reflexes, old girl. You'll need them tomorrow…_ when her hand fell upon an almost square velvet box.

Rinna froze. All the oxygen seemed to have been sucked from the room, and her breath came in frantic gasps. _No, no, no…why did I have to find this NOW of all times? _The box was the size of her outstretched hand and covered in black velvet. She had no voluntary control of her hands as they moved to open the hinged top. She had no voluntary control of the memory that flooded her mind.

* * *

Rinna's trembling hands opened the box. Inside, nestled in the black velvet, was a ruby pendant in the shape of a tear drop with three small diamonds at the bale. She gasped, "It's beautiful!"

"Here, let's see how it looks on you," Sirius suggested as he unclasped the gold chain and walked around behind her. He reached around her to place the necklace at her throat, and she lifted her hair so he could close the clasp. She turned around for him to see; it twinkled on her fair skin like a drop of rich red wine.

"Did you know that the ruby has been prized throughout history as a talisman against evil? Here, take a look," he said as he turned her around and walked her to the mirror. She gasped at the image and raised her hand to her throat to touch the gem. Her eyes found his in the mirror as he stood behind her with his hands resting lightly, yet possessively on her shoulders.

"Oh, Blackie, it's so beautiful," she breathed.

"It is almost as gorgeous as you are," he murmured in a low voice as he swept her hair aside to place a sensuous kiss on her neck. "I searched near and far for a beautiful ruby for _my_ beautiful Ruby." The huskiness in his voice and the languorous kiss on her neck effectively removed the bones from her lower extremities and she swayed. Strong arms encircled her, and his lips continued their magic.

"Why am I getting this now?" she wanted to know. She caught his eyes in the mirror. "My birthday isn't for two more weeks."

He smiled his lop-sided smile that had been designed for the sole purpose of making her light-headed. "Oh, it's not a birthday present."

"What? But you already gave me a Christmas present."

"Can't I give you a present for no particular reason?"

"Not when it is as beautiful and, I imagine, expensive as this one, no. There has got to be a reason."

"All right, here's my reason: The other day, and night, for that matter, was…amazing." He stopped, at a loss for words.

A knowing smirk crossed her face. "Ah, so this is a 'thanks for finally letting me get in your knickers' present, then?" she said lightly.

A spasm of hurt crossed Sirius' face, and he grabbed her shoulders, roughly turning her to face him. "Damn it, Rinna," he grated out passionately, "don't make it sound so cheap. It meant much more to me than that!" He flexed his fingers, shaking her slightly. "I can't ever imagine being with anyone else but you again, ever." He let go of her and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "You are…you're…"

She stepped closer to him, placing her fingers on his lips, looking into his stormy sapphire eyes. "Shhhh. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was so flippant. You know I would never treat your feelings for me lightly." Her arms slipped around his neck as she brought her lips close to his ear and whispered her throaty words, "I'm yours. I don't want to be anyone's but yours."

Once again his lips seared the column of her neck, and once again her knees trembled at the sensation of his lips on her skin. She raised her chin and sought his mouth with hers. The intensity of his emotions blazed through her, mingling with her own passion and returning to him through the force of their kiss. If the world stopped right now, it would be fine with her. She wouldn't even notice. All she was aware of was her man: his lips, his tongue, his hands on her body, and her bursting heart pulsing with fire.

He pulled away, but only by inches, and looked deeply into her eyes. "Arinna Dunlevy, I love you."

"And I love you, Sirius Black," she replied as tears trickled down to her upturned lips. He pulled her in to his chest in a tight embrace, and she snaked her arms around him just as tightly.

"Ah, Ruby-Red, I could spend forever here in your arms," he said hoarsely.

"Then why don't you?" she whispered back.

* * *

She knelt in front of the ottoman, sobs wracking her body, as she pulled the necklace from the velvet and clasped it around her neck. She wept for her loss as she had not done in all this time, with plaintive whimpers and loud cries and shuddering gasps. Her release threatened to rip through her, and she was concerned that she might not be able to stop the flood, but she could not remove her hands from her face or stem the flow of tears.

Finally it tapered off and she collapsed limply onto the ottoman, resting her head on her arms, spent. She felt the red briolette as it hung at her throat, bathed in her tears. It was so monstrously unfair…that she could still love him so after all these years, and when there was little hope that he would ever forgive her or want her again.

* * *

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please let me know. That button down below will lead the way! Thanks.**

10


	9. Birthday

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 9: Birthday**

**Disclaimer: You know, I seem to have to constantly remind myself that I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters, because they are so much fun to take out and play with. But alas, not mine. Except for, of course, any characters or places or book titles you see here that you don't find in her books; they are products of my quirky and creative imagination. Oh, and I made up the backyard Quidditch rules, too.**

**Author Notes: 1. I now raise my can of Dr. Pepper in a toast to my fab-yoo-lous beta, Lorett. **

**2. As some of you may have heard, apparantly there is a new rule at that authors are not allowed to respond to reviewers at the end of their chapters... so I have gone and removed all the responses I have given to reviews. It really bums me out, to say the least. I LOVE your reviews, I LOVE to hear what you think of this story, and I hope you will continue to review. If you would like me to respond to a review, please leave me your email address andI will. Thanks!**

Fingers of sunlight wove their way through the curtains and into the bedroom, tracing a gentle caress across Harry's face. He grimaced and squinted his eyes, turning away from the brightness and rolling to his side, hugging the second pillow (having two pillows was a decadence he'd never dreamt of when at the Dursleys) against his chest like a child with a teddy bear. He smiled and hovered between wake and sleep for several minutes before two things registered in his mind. The first was he had not been woken by some distressing half-formed dream, and the second was… _it's my birthday!_

His eyes shot open, and he rolled onto his back with a huge smile on his face. He was fourteen. This was the first birthday where he wasn't in a home that was completely indifferent to it. Here at the Burrow, not only would his birthday _not_ be ignored, but it would be acknowledged and even celebrated!

He practically wriggled with excitement. He'd never had a birthday party before! Laughter and delight bubbled up in him, eclipsing all the worrisome thoughts that had been plaguing his mind the past few days. The more mature fourteen-year-old part of him suggested deep in his mind that he was perhaps getting much too worked up over such a childish thing as a birthday party. But the part of him that had seen all of Dudley's parties over the years, quietly observing but never allowed to participate, and had wistfully wished for a party of his own someday… that little boy part of him kicked the cynical teenaged part of him in the imaginary shins and told him to shut it and let him enjoy his first real birthday ever, damn it!

He was no more capable of staying in bed any longer than he was at reading tea leaves; he had to share his excitement with someone. He sat up and looked over at Ron, who was peacefully unaware that the day had dawned, or that a large wet area of drool had darkened the pillowcase. Harry launched himself onto Ron's bed brandishing his pillow like a broadsword. Ron sat up with a start, absorbing the full assault of the pillow with his face.

"What the hell? Gerroff me, you big hippogriff's arse!" Ron managed to grunt out before the next blow. Harry laughed wickedly and began a third swing, but Ron countered brilliantly, blocking Harry with his arm and seizing his own pillow to begin his defensive barrage. It was Ron's turn to cackle when his wet, drool-drenched pillow connected soundly with the side of Harry's head, knocking him sideways.

"Ewwww!" yelled Harry, who scooped up another pillow in his free hand; but he found, when he sat back up, both pillows swinging, that Ron was similarly armed. What had begun as an ambush was quickly evolving into a skirmish…

And then, the door to the bedroom flew open. With red and brown hair flying, a pillow in each hand, Ginny and Hermione descended on the boys and escalated the situation to a full scale battle. The next few minutes consisted of ripostes and parries, feints and advances where the soft feathery objects served as both weapon and shield until, as was inevitable, a tell-tale rip was heard and the room was filled with downy feathers drifting down like new fallen snow.

Molly found them, coated in goose down and laughing hysterically. She stood in the doorway in her dressing gown, hands on her hips, foot tapping ominously. The room became suddenly quiet, until Molly's impassive mouth began to twitch, and try as she might, she could not hold a straight face any longer. Her mouth quirked into a smile. "I see that the festivities have begun," she drawled, eyes twinkling, foot still tapping.

Four mouths began stammering out apologies, but Molly magnanimously waved them aside. "No, no. There's no harm done, and besides, today is a special day," she beamed at Harry. She pulled out her wand and muttered a quick _reparo_ and the feathers began to fly back into the tattered pillow, which then stitched itself up. Molly looked into four pairs of relieved eyes and said, "However, since you lot have an obscene amount of excess energy this morning, you will all follow me to the kitchen to help with breakfast."

The kids knew better than to groan, and recognized the grace offered to them. On any other day, Molly Weasley would have been much less generous in doling out punishment for destruction of property.

"Actually, this is a good thing," Ginny said quietly to the others, "because we can snitch samples before any one else gets to the table." The boys brightened considerably at this, and made a show of stampeding down the stairs, trying to impede each other's progress in order to get to the kitchen first.

Hermione looked at Ginny, who grinned back. They both rolled their eyes simultaneously and said, in unison, "Boys!" before making their way quickly down the stairs to the kitchen.

* * *

Rinna jerked out of her sleep, kicking off the covers and knocking the alarm to the ground. She sat up on the edge, ran her hands through her tousled hair and groaned. The alarm had pulled her away from unsettling dreams, most of which were quickly receding from her memory. But the one she had been experiencing when the alarm went off, however, remained vivid behind her eyelids…

_She is in Remus' embrace; strong, solid arms wrapped around her, protecting her from pain, from feelings. She doesn't need to feel anything when she is with Remus. She senses that he will never ask her to feel anything for him, and she is safe: her fortress walls around her heart are not threatened by him… She tilts her head up, looks into his hazel eyes, and he leans forward and presses his lips to hers. She drowns in the kiss until he pulls away. She opens her eyes in surprise at his retreat…opens her eyes to his indigo blue ones…blue eyes…Sirius…_

With another groan, Rinna flopped backwards onto the bed. She needed to pull herself together. Today was the day, Harry's birthday, and she needed her defenses in order, damn it. She did not need Sirius sneaking in subconsciously, shaving away at emotional masonry already weakened by the Birthday Boy himself. And Harry had weakened her strongholds, she admitted to herself, and was well on his way to breaching them without even realizing it.

She briefly considered backing out of going to the party, but realized that would be unconscionable; she would not deliberately hurt her godson. She heaved herself off the bed and stumbled to the kitchen to brew herself some exceptionally strong tea to jumpstart her morning.

Her fingers reached for the back of her neck, kneading to release the tension there. She was surprised to feel the chain around her neck; she still was wearing the ruby necklace. It was odd that she hadn't noticed it. When Sirius first gave it to her, it took a week to get used to the feel of it around her neck. She had been wearing it only twenty-four hours and was so accustomed to its pressure that she'd forgotten it was on her. It was almost as if her body retained the memory of how it had felt all those years she'd worn it.

She sighed. This was not going to help her get over Sirius. She had realized that her feelings for him had not abated, even after all the years they were stuffed away in the recesses of her heart. And yet, she knew that it was not logical to expect that anything could come of those feelings now. Sirius was long gone out of her life, and quite likely was glad of it, all things considered. She simply needed to get over him.

Now, if she could just get her heart on the same page as her brain…

She glanced at the clock. Remus was meeting her soon. She finished her tea and scones, and went to change. She stood in front of her vanity, looking at the reflection of the necklace against her bare skin. She reached up to take it off, but stopped. It really was quite beautiful. And it would complement the summer dress she would change into for the party later. And, if she was honest with herself, now that she had found it again, she was loathe to part with it. Her contemplation was interrupted by the chime of her front door.

Damn Remus and his promptness!

She pulled on a U2 t-shirt from the concert she and Dorrie had gone to last year, and a pair of cropped jeans, and ran to get the door.

Remus smiled and raised his eyebrows. "Are you running late?" he asked her.

"No," she snapped. "You are just running annoyingly early."

He followed her down the hall and stood in the doorway of her room, leaning against the door frame and adopting a look of long-suffering patience. "Do you have your gift? And your clothes for the party? What about your broom?"

"Yes, yes and yes. I just have to get some trainers on, for crying out loud! You act like I haven't even gotten out of my pajamas yet."

He chuckled. "I've obviously underestimated your ability to function before eleven in the morning. I was expecting to have to drag you out of bed."

"Ha! That just shows that you don't know me as well as you think you do, Remus Lupin."

Remus grinned. "Maybe I need to study the subject more," he suggested roguishly.

Rinna looked up at his mock-innocent expression and felt her heart melt. He was so sweet and charming, and he was _here_. She felt that flutter she remembered from school in her ribcage. She was forced to admit she was once again harboring an earnest crush over Remus.

_Rinna, this is Harry's day. You will focus on your godson. You are going to put all thoughts of Remus and Sirius aside and not think about them any more today._ She looked in the mirror one last time, noting that the necklace was now hidden under her t-shirt. She grabbed her bag with all her things, and turned for the door.

The sight of him leaning against the doorway, smiling impishly elevated her heart rate. _Blast it! _Remus was not going to make it easy to stop thinking about him, not if he intended to look at her like _that_ today. She tried to get her thoughts and her pulse under control.

Remus saw her expression change. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, uh…" she stammered, "just a bit of nerves; it's been years since I played Quidditch." It was true; she _was_ feeling a little apprehensive about the upcoming match.

"You'll be in good company though. Charlie Weasley and Harry Potter are two of Hogwarts best Seekers," he said reassuringly.

She scowled playfully at him. "Where is your loyalty, Lupin? What about James Potter?"

"James was excellent, to be sure, but Charlie was legendary, and Harry has established such a reputation in the three years he's been playing that he will likely eclipse Charlie's legacy."

"Remy, if you are trying to calm my nerves, you are failing miserably…"

"You'll be fine. You were an excellent player yourself."

"Right. You _do_ know that your use of the past tense isn't helping any, don't you?" she grimaced.

Remus rolled his eyes. "What are you so afraid of? What's the worst thing that could happen…you fall off your broom?"

"No, the worst case scenario is that I play badly and make an ass out of myself!"

"Hmmm…Playing badly is worse than severe bodily harm. It's nice to know you still have those skewed Quidditch priorities, Dunlevy," he said sarcastically.

Rinna walked over to him and gently pinched his mouth together with her hand. "Oh, shut it, you!"

Remus grabbed her hand, and before she could react, he turned her hand up and dropped a kiss into her palm whilst simultaneously wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. She gasped slightly and leaned in toward him. Remus dropped her hand and cupped her cheek as their lips met in a languorous kiss.

When they broke apart, she brought her hand to his cheek, mirroring his position. "Now there will be no more of that today, Mr. Lupin," she said primly. "I'm not prepared for the full scale inquiry that will happen if Molly Weasley catches wind of any of this, and I suspect you aren't either."

"Heavens, no!" He pretended horror at the thought. Then he smirked at her. "I'll behave myself if you do!"

"I will be the picture of propriety," she smirked back.

Remus held out his arm to her, "Shall we be off, then?"

She took his arm and beamed at him, "By all means, yes."

* * *

Blue eyes snapped open and his body sat bolt upright as Sirius tried to wrench himself from a pleasant dream turned nightmare…

_She pushes her long red hair out of her face and smiles up at him, slipping her hand behind his neck and pulling him down to her waiting mouth. Her kiss scorches him, leaving him with pain and longing as she pulls away. She avoids his eyes, and he growls in anger…he grasps her roughly by the shoulders and turns her around to face away from him…she screams and struggles in his grip…he shoves her roughly away from him toward…toward…black eyes lit with unholy red, black eyes that glitter in triumph as he shoves her toward…the Dark Lord…she screams…_

"No…" he panted as he swept sweat from his brow. Was it true? Had he pushed her toward…? _No, no, no_…Besides, he refused to believe that Rinna would have been allowed within ten kilometers of Harry if she had turned coat all those years ago. Dumbledore or Lupin would have made sure of it.

Sirius wished he could contact Lupin, but without an owl, it was impossible. If he had been thinking straight the other day, he would have had Hedwig deliver a letter to him, too. As it was, he had no idea where his friend was staying. He had no idea where Rinna was staying. But he did know where Harry was: the Weasleys. He knew exactly where he was going; he'd been there many times all those years ago. He pictured himself walking up to the Weasleys' front porch with flowers or candy in his hands…Rinna throwing herself into his arms with a girly squeal… he shook his head to loosen the grip of the memory.

The dawn was breaking. He'd only had about two hours of sleep, but he estimated he could make it to Ottery St. Catchpole by early to mid-afternoon if he pressed on. He needed to get on the road. He'd lost track of the days, but today was either the 30th or the 31st. Harry's birthday. He didn't have a present for his godson, but he would make that up to him. Once he had found Rin…er, once he made sure Harry was safe.

* * *

Rinna and Remus walked up the steps to the front porch of the Burrow and knocked at the door. Molly greeted them warmly and handed them each a tall glass of lemonade. She gestured for them to follow her to the orchard. Several chaises had been set out in the clearing near the orchard, affording a decent view of what would soon be occurring over the trees. Tables had been placed strategically, laden with fruit and cookies and pitchers of lemonade.

Bill, Charlie, Ron and Harry were setting up the last hoop. They waved to the newcomers, and flew down to join the others in the clearing. "Right," said Charlie, "looks like we're all here. Who's playing?" Eight hands shot up while the non-players made their way to the chaises.

Rinna moved over to stand near Harry, saying quietly, "Happy Birthday, Harry."

"Thanks," he replied, feeling a little awkward around her.

She could sense it. "I'm really glad to be here," she said sincerely. Then her voice became playful, "but…"

"But what?"

She smiled cheekily, "I should have my head examined!" On seeing Harry's eyebrows knit together in puzzlement, she explained, "I must have been completely nutters to agree to play Quidditch with all you young upstarts. Do you have any idea how long it has been since I've sat on a broom?"

The grin on Harry's face was pure impudence. "Well, actually I do. It was a few nights ago. I saw you."

Rinna rolled her eyes. "I meant how long it has been since I've been on a broom and played Quidditch, scamp!" She grinned back at him, grateful that the tension between them had eased.

Harry attempted to school his face to a more respectful look, with minimal success. "Then no, I don't. How long has it been?"

"Long enough that I'll likely be very sore tomorrow!"

They were interrupted by Charlie, "I say, are you two even listening?" Harry and Rinna snapped to attention under Charlie's glare. Then Rinna glanced sideways at Harry and raised her eyebrow conspiratorially. He snickered, but quickly put on a guileless face when Charlie glanced sharply at them. Charlie was certainly taking his self-appointed role of Game Captain seriously. He continued, "How does this sound: two games that last 45 minutes, or until the snitch is caught, with the option of a third match of thirty minutes if we're not all beat?" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Right then. Is everyone all right with playing any position? We won't have any Beaters, of course," he glanced at Fred and George. With only four players on each team, there was no need for Beaters. The twins groaned.

"I suppose, Fred, that we will have to debase ourselves and play the lowly position of Seeker," said George resignedly, pointedly looking at Charlie and Harry.

Fred heaved sigh of deep suffering. "I'm afraid so, George. Or worse, we'll be Chasers!" He glanced at Bill.

"Now don't start a row about what is the best position to play," Bill advised. "You'll never get a consensus from this lot!"

Harry turned to Rinna. "What position did you play at school, Rinna?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, well…I played all of them, actually." She saw puzzled expressions, so she added, "I spent two years as an alternate before I made the team." Harry nodded. Alternate players, of course, served their team by filling in if a regular player could not practice or compete, but they also served the important role of playing "opposing" team members during practice. A good alternate could play any position, and switched as needed during practice to help hone the team's skills.

Charlie had conjured sixteen chips, eight charmed with each player's name, and four with each team's colors and positions. Then he pulled out eight jerseys. "The teams are Red vs. Green."

"Why do they have to be green?" asked Harry as he picked up a dark green jersey with distaste. "It looks too Slytherin."

Bill and Charlie glanced up at Rinna, who smiled slightly and shrugged, tilting her head at Harry. "He is the Birthday Boy, after all," she said. "Let Harry choose the team colors."

"Red vs. Blue," Harry said decisively. The jerseys and chips changed from green to blue.

"Then the last thing we need to discuss is the rules…"

"Crikey, Charlie," protested George, "we're never going to play at this rate!" Fortunately, the rules for Backyard Quidditch were rather simple, and the huddle to hash out the issues of penalties and other important details was short.

Charlie requested that Molly and Remus officiate, and they were each handed a whistle. The chips were placed in bowls, and Molly chose the players names, while Remus chose the team chip. Team Blue consisted of George as Keeper, Rinna as Seeker, and Harry and Ron as Chasers. Charlie was the Keeper for Team Red, and Bill was the Seeker, leaving Fred and Ginny as Chasers.

Everyone kicked off the ground to hover above the orchard. Rinna flew up next to Harry. "Not too many of us playing our best positions, are there?" she asked, deviously. Harry glanced twice at her. There was a very wicked smirk on her face.

"Just what is your best position, anyway?" He asked in suspicion. He did not get an answer, for just then the balls were released and the game began.

Had they charged several galleons for admittance, the match would have been well worth it for sheer entertainment value alone. The first fifteen minutes was a comedy of errors and at times, it was all they could do to stay on their brooms, everyone was laughing so hard. Then, as everyone grew more comfortable, the play got more serious. As a whole, the teams were pretty evenly matched, although Team Red had the advantage of Ginny playing in her element; she was a natural Chaser. Thirty-five minutes into it, the score was 60-40 to Red's advantage.

"C'mon!" Harry roared to his team. "We can take 'em!"

"Ha!" Ginny taunted. "You cannot overcome the advantage of an all-Weasley team!"

Since the rules allowed for it with such small teams, Bill and Rinna had been doing a fair bit of Chasing during the match, as the Snitch had yet to make an appearance. "I hope the Snitch shows up soon," Bill muttered to Charlie. "There isn't much time left to the match."

Just then, as if on cue, a flicker of gold flashed in Bill's periphery. He veered and took off. Rinna didn't even bother to search the sky; she merely accelerated in Bill's direction. Once she saw where he was heading, she ascended to a position above him and slightly to his right, eyes roaming eagerly. She did pay close attention to Bill, in case he was bluffing.

There! A flash of gold to her left. But Bill was closer, damn it. Had he seen it? She banked sharply, and sliced downward, cutting Bill off from the Snitch. He yelled indignantly, and she merely cackled merrily as she swerved again, hot on the trail of the golden ball. She could feel that Bill was close behind her. Hoping that Bill would follow her misdirection, she dropped into a steep descent. When she was sure Bill was following, she slowed slightly, and as he passed her she pulled up sharply, rapidly ascending again. It was a gamble…had she lost the Snitch?

Once more the gold glint caught her eye and she zoomed toward it. She heard Bill shouting and cursing below her…he'd cottoned on to her ruse, it seemed. She had one last trick up her sleeve. She flew at a level above the plane of the Snitch's flight, hoping Bill would think the Snitch was above her, since everyone knew it was far easier to reach up for it. Apparently the plan was working, as Bill was now above her and slightly behind. She was so close… just a few more feet and she would have it.

Continuing her deception, she reached up as she put on a burst of speed. Bill angled downward, and closed the distance, even though he could not see the Snitch. At the last moment, Rinna flung herself to the side, one leg hooking on the broom as she reached downward and grabbed the Snitch with a triumphant yell. Bill brushed by overhead, and had she not been hanging under her broom by one hand and one leg, she might have been knocked off.

Bill circled her. "That was a dirty trick!" he shouted, but he was grinning.

"What were you going to do: go through me to catch it?" she countered.

"I was going to knock you away, if you must know," he retorted.

"Ah, so THAT'S how you treat a lady!" she scolded as she swung herself back onto her broom.

"Rinna, darling," Bill drawled as they began a lazy descent to the clearing, "in Quidditch, there are no ladies."

The two were mobbed as they landed. Rinna held up the Snitch in victory as Harry, Ron and George cheered. "What in the bloody name of Quidditch was THAT?" Fred asked Rinna.

"THAT, my dear Fred," she said, her manner pure braggadocio, "was what took my team out of third place and put it in the running for the House Cup my seventh year!"

Harry grinned. He'd followed her every move, anticipating what she was going to do, and had been enthralled. He'd done similar bluffs many times, but it was fun to watch someone else pull it off. "You played Seeker then, your final year?"

"I did for the last two matches, after our Seeker cracked his skull and went temporarily blind in one eye."

"So, you won the first of the two matches, then," Ron said. She nodded. "How'd you do on the last one?"

She grinned exultantly. "Let's just say, we won the House Cup."

The players took a quick break to drink lemonade and nibble on cookies. Remus sidled up to Rinna and said quietly, "What the bloody hell was that all about, Miss Pomposity? I think you just out-swaggered James and Sirius combined!" He regretted his words when he saw her face fall a bit at the mention of Sirius' name.

She quickly recovered, however. "That, my friend, was proving a point."

"What point would that be, exactly? Never underestimate the old folks?"

She grimaced at him. "You're a funny man today, aren't you? I'll have you know, I am like a fine wine. I get better with age!"

Remus eyes twinkled. "Uh huh." He paused. "Was it worth it; proving your non-existent point?"

"Yes. But remind me of that tomorrow when I'm groaning and I can't move," she chuckled ruefully.

The second match pitted Harry, Ginny, George and Bill against Ron, Rinna, Fred and Charlie. Rinna and Harry drew the Keeper positions, Ginny and Charlie were the Seekers. Charlie grabbed the Snitch about twenty-five minutes into the game.

"Everyone up for one more short one?" Charlie called. No one wanted to say no, even though everyone was hot and sweaty, so the final lineup was drawn. Rinna and George were Chasers, Fred the Seeker and Bill was the Keeper for Team Red. Ron was Keeper, Ginny and Charlie were Chasers and Harry was the Seeker for Team Blue.

Fred groaned, "We don't have a chance against them with Harry as their Seeker!" He glanced hopefully at Rinna. "Wanna be Seeker again?"

"Rather not, Fred. Chaser was actually my favorite position. I played it for two and a half years."

"Well I hope you are bloody brilliant at it, because otherwise we are doomed," Fred pronounced gloomily.

The game was actually rather intense, and the Chasers for both teams were moving all over. The Keepers were forced to work hard as the Quaffles were flung at the hoops practically non-stop. Everyone knew it was the last match and they were giving it everything they had.

Bill spotted the Snitch and signaled to Fred, but Harry had seen it, too. Fred was no match for Harry, but he put forth valiant effort and made Harry work hard to catch it.

Everyone landed, panting for breath, their hot cheeks reddened with exertion. They were hot, sweaty and tired, but pleased with the games. Harry thought he'd never had so much fun. He grinned as Hermione ran up to him to hug him, and laughed when she pulled back at the last minute.

"Ugh. You're all sweaty," she complained.

"Sorry. Does that mean I'm not huggable, then?"

She tilted her head and looked at him playfully. "Oh, you are always huggable. I just choose to do it when you are cleaned up and smell nicer!"

"Will I get a hug if I clean up, Mione?" asked Ron with a wistful look on his face.

"I suppose that will depend on how nice you smell, too!" she retorted. She turned back to Harry. "That was so much fun!"

"Yeah!" Harry agreed.

"Your godmother is a good player," Ron commented as they followed the others back to the house to clean up and get ready for the rest of the party. "She was brilliant Chasing in that last match."

Harry grinned. "And she had everybody fooled in the first match. That was a cunning move she pulled on Bill!"

"Well, that was certainly the happiest I've ever seen her look," Hermione said thoughtfully.

Harry studied Rinna's back as she walked with Bill and Charlie and Professor Lupin. They were laughing about something. She certainly seemed happier and more playful than the other times he'd seen her. He liked seeing this side of his godmother; he imagined that this is what she must have been like around his mother.

* * *

It took some time for everyone to get cleaned up and dressed for the festivities. Of course, that was to be expected with eight people vying for two bathrooms. What wasn't expected was the twins charming the upstairs shower to spew out maple syrup instead of water. Harry had been given the "honor" of getting first crack at the showers, it being his birthday. Two seconds after turning on the spigot, he realized he'd been set up.

The last thing George and Fred saw before locking themselves safely in their bedroom was an enraged fourteen-year-old, wrapped in a towel, dark hair plastered to his skull, leaving sticky footprints in the hall as he charged at them, green eyes snapping, yelling, "YOU ARE SO DEAD!"

Fortunately for Harry, the girls were using the bath downstairs in Molly and Arthur's room and did not see him in his state of sticky undress. Once Bill could stop laughing, he set the shower to rights and scourgified the stairs and the hallway. Harry managed to get the syrup out of his hair.

Hermione found Harry in the living room, alone, which was unusual for this house. He was looking out the window thoughtfully. She thought he looked very nice in his jeans and button-down shirt. She moved close to him. "I hear you got yourself in a sticky situation up there," she said with a laugh.

Harry groaned at her pun. "It wasn't my doing, I'll tell you that." He turned and grinned wickedly at her. "So I'm just standing here plotting my sweet revenge…"

It was Hermione's turn to groan. "I will not be pulled into a pun war, Mr. Potter!"

"Why not? Afraid you'd lose?"

Hermione tossed her hair. "Oh please, I would not lose! I am a witty and intelligent person and I can make puns with the best of them!"

Harry's mouth stretched into his charming grin as he said, "You'll get no argument from me there."

Hermione felt herself flush under the intensity of Harry's smile. "Well, I, uh… I was looking for you to… uh…"

"Give me the hug you owe me?" he asked.

"Oh. Right." She stepped up to him and put her arms around his neck. "Happy Birthday, Harry."

Harry put his arms around her waist and hugged her tight, resting his cheek against hers. "Thanks, Mione!" She smelled like flowers and sunshine, and she felt warm and comfortable against him.

She spoke into his shoulder, "You smell nice."

"That was part of the deal, wasn't it? I clean up and smell nice, and I get a hug from my favorite girl." He pulled away slightly and looked into her face, his smile even wider than before. He watched as her lips quirked upward and she blushed a little. His stomach suddenly felt tingly. He couldn't take his eyes off her mouth.

Hermione felt Harry's heartbeat quicken. At least she thought it was his, but it could easily be hers, she realized, since she was feeling warm and giddy all of a sudden. She felt herself leaning toward him unconsciously. She saw his eyes widen.

Harry's head inclined towards hers as he locked his gaze on her brown eyes. Her eyes slid shut just a fraction of a second before their lips touched. Her mouth felt smooth and cushy and warm against his. He thought his heart might punch through his chest.

They pulled apart and Hermione, for once in her life, could not form a single coherent thought in her head. She felt like she was filled with helium, about to float away. She opened her eyes to his brilliant green ones. "Wow," she breathed.

"Yeah, wow," Harry agreed.

The sound of feet clomping down the stairs shattered the moment. "Oy, Harry! Where are you, mate?" came Ron's voice. Hermione and Harry quickly stepped apart, a second before Ron came bounding into the room. He grabbed Harry by the elbow, tugging him toward the door. "I have a fantastic idea on how to get back at Fred and George. Now's our chance, but we've got to hurry!"

Harry turned to smile apologetically at Hermione. She smiled back and watched Ron pull him unceremoniously from the room. Her fingers drifted up to her lips, and she stood deep in thought until she heard Ginny call her name.

"Oh, there you are!" Ginny said. "Did you find out?"

"Find out what?" asked Hermione, confused.

"What flavor ice cream Harry wants." Ginny put her hands on her hips in a fair imitation of her mother. "Honestly, what have you been doing all this time?"

"Oh…uh…I tried to ask him, but Ron came and grabbed him away," Hermione stammered.

Ginny gave her a funny look before flouncing off muttering, "If you want something done right..."

* * *

Rinna stepped out of the Weasleys' master bedroom to find Charlie and Remus leaning in the hallway talking animatedly. Charlie saw her first and he stopped mid-sentence. "Lupin, I think I'm seeing a vision!" he said dramatically.

Remus turned and took her in and had to agree with Charlie. Although she wasn't wearing one of the sexy little numbers she wore to work, she still looked fantastic in a sleeveless summer dress and heeled sandals. "Hmm…you clean up nicely, Dunlevy," he said with a grin, since he couldn't say what he _really_ wanted to in front of Charlie.

She stuck her tongue out at him, then turned to Charlie with a cheeky smile and asked, "Are you always such a flirt, Charlie Weasley?"

Charlie gave her a small bow. "Yes, ma'am, I'm afraid so. It's drop-dead-gorgeous women like you that bring it out in me!"

She laughed, catching Remus' scowl out of the corner of her eye. "I'm heading into the kitchen to see if Molly needs any help. Would either of you louts care to join me?" she asked.

Charlie looked positively alarmed. "Uh, I think I'll go see what kind of prank Ron and Harry cooked up to get back at the twins," he said as he moved quickly for the stairs.

Rinna looked at Remus. "Well, care to lend a hand to kitchen work?" she asked pertly.

"Only because it means I'll get to be close to you," he replied suavely.

Her eyebrows rose. "Goodness that was smooth! Have you been taking lessons from Charlie?"

"I'll have you know," he said haughtily, "that I was charming the ladies while Charlie Weasley was still wiping snot on his sleeves."

She reached up and patted his cheek. "You are adorable when you are delusional, did you know?" She squealed as he lunged for her, and scuttled out of the way, making quickly for the kitchen across the house. He caught up with her at the kitchen door, and pinched her in the side as she stepped through. She gave a squeak of surprise which caused Molly to turn around.

"Would you like some help, Molly?" Rinna asked, color high in her cheeks.

Molly appraised the two of them, looking for all the world like teenagers on a lark. "I'd probably better put both of you to work," she said, her stern tone belied by her twitching mouth. "You look like you will get into mischief otherwise." She pointed to the plates and silverware. "You can start with setting the table, please."

"You are right to keep her occupied, Molly," Remus teased. "I'm sure you remember what a troublemaker she used to be!"

Molly pointed a wooden spoon at him, her eyes twinkling. "Detention for you, Professor, for your cheek! Now get those glasses and set them out." Remus pretended to give wide berth to her spoon and moved to comply.

Molly turned to Rinna and looked her up and down. "Rinna, dear, I remember that necklace. It looks smashing with that dress, like they were meant to be together!" Molly smiled. Rinna's hand went to her neck as her cheeks turned pink again.

Remus looked across the table at Rinna and studied the pendant closely. He hadn't really even noticed it until Molly pointed it out. Suddenly, a memory blossomed in his head.

"_Come on, Moony, I need your help. I don't know the first thing about buying jewelry for a girl," Sirius pleading as he pulled Remus into a small shop in Hogsmeade… _

Oh yes, he remembered being forced to accompany Sirius that day, obviously for the sole purpose of moral support since he wasn't any more experienced at buying gems for girlfriends than Sirius was. He remembered Sirius' resolute search for the perfect ruby, and how momentous the occasion felt; Sirius had revealed that he was sure "she is _the one_!" It was that day that Remus realized that Sirius' heart had been completely captured by a certain Titian-haired lass, and Remus had determined to never entertain any romantic notions of Rinna again.

At the same moment that he felt guilt pierce his heart as he considered the more-than-platonic relationship that appeared to be budding between him and Rinna, a thought seared his mind: _why is she wearing that necklace again?

* * *

_

Had anyone been standing outside the Burrow when the word was given that dinner was ready, they would have been convinced that a herd of wild animals was trapped inside the house and was stampeding, the din of more than a dozen people moving toward the kitchen was so loud. Then the laughter broke loose as Fred and George made their entrance, dressed completely in magenta-colored clothes all the way down to their trainers and socks (and quite possibly their underwear, but everyone was laughing too hard to ask). No one needed to inquire as to how Harry and Ron's prank turned out; it was obviously quite successful. Even Percy was chuckling.

After dinner, the entire troupe filed into the living room for the opening of presents. Harry was given the natty wingback chair as the place of honor, and was handed gifts, lemonade and more gifts. The room was full of laughter and good cheer and Harry took a minute to bask in the feeling of being the center of it all. This ranked right up there with catching his first snitch and how he felt each time he returned to Hogwarts.

The gifts ranged from the extremely practical (broomstick polish) to the unexciting (socks) to the thoughtful (a Quidditch-fact-a-day planner from Hermione). From Professor Lupin he received a book titled _Producing a Patronus, and other Defensive Magic_ by Gerald LaGuardia. Rinna had also given him books: one on the history and evolution of competition broomsticks, and the other _Abercrombie to Wronski: The World's Top Quidditch Players of this Century. _Harry beamed as he thanked everyone.

After everyone had thumbed through the books and inspected and handled the various other gifts (except, perhaps, the socks), when the conversation had died to a low buzz, Molly suggested that everyone move back into the kitchen for cake and homemade ice cream. She had finally obtained the necessary information to produce Harry's favorite flavor: strawberry.

The kids settled at one end of the magically elongated table, the adults at the other closest to the back door. Fourteen candles were lit on the cake for Harry to blow out, which he did to loud applause. As everyone enjoyed the dessert, the group broke up into little conversations. While he was scraping the last of the delicious ice cream from his bowl, Harry caught the mention of his godfather's name at the opposite end of the table and did his best to eavesdrop on the discussion.

"So, Remus," Molly said, "the kids told us about what happened at the end of term. It makes me furious to think that we harbored that, that, that sneaking traitor Pettigrew all this time!" Molly scowled one of her most terrifying scowls. Then her expression softened. "Sirius is truly innocent, then?"

"Yes, Molly, it's true. I saw Pettigrew with my own eyes. He faked everything and set Sirius up to take the fall. Sirius is innocent."

Molly turned to Rinna with, "Well, this is good news!" She saw the look on Rinna's face: a mixture of sadness, guilt and regret. "Isn't it?" Rinna didn't answer. "Rinna?"

Rinna sighed. "Well, of course it's good news, Molly. It means that Sirius isn't a murderer," she said unenthusiastically.

"That's not what I mean, missy!"

By this point, Ron and Hermione had noticed that Harry was listening to the adults and tuned their ears to the exchange as well.

Rinna sighed again, "I know, Molly."

Rinna was behaving unexpectedly, but Molly continued gamely on, "But if Pettigrew is found, and Sirius' name is cleared, well then the two of you could…"

"It's complicated, Molly," Rinna interrupted brusquely, as she glanced at Remus, eyes full of emotion.

Molly opened her mouth to respond, and then closed it. "I see." She watched as Remus and Rinna eyed each other and a small suspicion began to form in her mind. She decided to test her theory. "This 'complication,' it wouldn't be a recent one, now would it?"

Rinna pulled her gaze away from Remus, confirming in Molly's mind that they had been attempting some form of silent communication. "No. I'm afraid it is something rather regrettable from a long time ago," she said glumly.

Molly felt the small bit of hope that Rinna and Sirius might finally find the happiness that had eluded them for so long start to dissolve. "Is it repairable?" she asked softly.

Rinna put her head in her hand and rubbed her temples. "To be honest, Molly, I don't know. I doubt it." She got up abruptly, growing a little agitated at the uncomfortable situation she found herself in. "Besides, what is the point? Sirius is long gone, hopefully well hidden, and it is highly unlikely that I will see him anytime in the near future anyway!"

Of course Molly would expect that Rinna and Sirius get back together. As far as she knew, there was no other man in Rinna's life. And Molly had no idea of the rift Rinna had caused, that she had damaged her relationship with Sirius quite likely beyond repair. The close proximity of so many people began to press in on Rinna claustrophobically, and she desperately needed some air and some space. She turned and went out the kitchen door, seeking the solace of the backyard, the weight of Molly's expectations heavy on her heart.

* * *

It was sometime after three-thirty in the afternoon when Sirius trotted past the main street of Ottery St. Catchpole and onto the lane to the Burrow. His footpads were sore, and there were burrs in his coat. He was tired, but he was so close now. He rounded a bend in the road and there it was, looking exactly as he remembered it: defying all the laws of magic and physics by staying upright. Now he would need to stay out of sight until he could catch Harry alone. He made his way to the backyard and positioned himself strategically in some bushes on a little rise by the side garden gate. It afforded him a view of the back porch and the yard.

He tested the air with his heightened dog senses. There was definitely a party going on; he could smell all the cooking, and the sweetness of freshly baked cake. He felt his stomach rumble. He settled his head on his paws, and waited.

The back door opened, and from his spot in the bushes, Sirius had an unobstructed view. His eyes fell upon a woman with short red hair, not Weasley red, but darker. It wasn't until she began to walk down the steps of the porch that he truly registered it was her. _Rinna…_ He would recognize that walk, the sway of her hips and the way she carried herself anywhere. After all, he'd seen it behind closed eyelids every day that he'd been incarcerated.

His mouth went dry, and he couldn't seem to move. He watched as a scene began to unfold. Remus had followed her out, and was calling to her. She was making her way to the side gate, and to his consternation, Sirius noted that she looked distressed.

Remus quickly took the steps and caught up with her about half-way across the lawn. He took her arm and spun her around, speaking softly and soothingly to her with words too quiet for Sirius to make out at that distance. Without thinking, Sirius slunk out of his hiding place and gravitated toward the garden gate, like a moon drawn to its planet.

--------

Harry, Ron and Hermione watched as Rinna walked out the back door, followed by Professor Lupin. "Looks like we were right after all," Hermione whispered.

Harry looked stricken. "I have to tell her that Sirius is coming back," he said in an undertone, and got up to go out the door. Hermione and Ron followed him, and quickly shut the door behind them. They saw Rinna and Lupin deep in quiet dialogue, and Harry was about to move off the porch to go to them when Hermione dug her fingers into his elbow and pointed to the side gate.

The trio watched in stunned silence as a large black dog entered the garden, and changed into a tall, raggedy man.

"Oh no," Harry breathed.

---------

Rinna was surprised when Remus stopped mid-sentence. His hand dropped from her arm, and his eyes widened. A look of stunned disbelief seized his face as he looked over her shoulder. She felt goose bumps break out on her arms, and the back of her neck prickled. She slowly turned around…a tall gaunt man stood not five feet away from her.

Her eyes traveled up his body, taking in the ragged clothes, the too thin frame, unkempt hair and beard. He was a stranger. Then she reached his eyes, stormy pools of cerulean blue swirling with emotions that she knew she did not want to name. She sucked in her breath sharply. "Sirius."

"Hullo, Rinna." The silence between them was heavy and the air itself felt weighted with heartache and recrimination. "I didn't know if I'd ever see you again."

* * *

**A/N: Ooh, watch out for that cliff, people! And don't forget to review; it will make me so happy! Here comes the shameless begging: Wouldn't you like to help me reach my goal of over 50 reviews before I get to Chapter 10? I am so close to 50…**

17


	10. Aftermath

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 10: Aftermath**

**Disclaimer: Here's a big surprise: I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters. They do, however, seem to want to play around in my head, take me hostage and make me write about them: hence this story. Any characters or places or book titles you see here that you don't find in her books, well, they are products of my fertile and fevered imagination. **

**A/N: You may have heard by now that fanfiction dot net has supposedly made a new rule against authors writing responses to their reviewers in their chapters, and that some authors have had their stories deleted as a result. I went back and edited all my chappies and took out the review responses. It makes me sad, because I want to show my appreciation for those of you who review. Sorry if you got a bunch of chapter alerts in your inboxes… I had to repost each chapter.**

**And now, a brief recap of where we left off…and on with the show!**

_Her eyes traveled up his body, taking in the ragged clothes, the too thin frame, unkempt hair and beard. He was a stranger. Then she reached his eyes, stormy pools of cerulean blue swirling with emotions that she knew she did not want to name. She sucked in her breath sharply. "Sirius."_

"_Hullo, Rinna." The silence between them was heavy and the air itself felt weighted with heartache and recrimination. "I didn't know if I'd ever see you again."

* * *

_

She too had thought she'd never see him again, but when he had escaped from Azkaban, she had lived her days in dread of just such an encounter. What would she say to him, how could she explain what she had done? Or, more accurately, how could she explain without summoning the feelings she was desperately trying to keep at bay?

She whispered, "I'm…I'm sorry. I…can't… I can't stay…" She shouldered past him. He reached out to her, brushing his hand across her arm as she passed, but she didn't stop.

"Rinna…" his voice was threaded with reproach and longing and desperation. She stopped as if jerked by the end of a chain. His next words thrust clear to the core of her heart.

"You broke my heart, Rinna."

Her head dropped and her eyes slid shut. "I know." _I broke mine, too. _

She turned and dragged her eyes back up to his. _He deserves an explanation, Rinna. _In a voice barely a decibel above a whisper, she began to speak. "He wanted you…the Dark Lord. Don't you see? I had to do it…I…I couldn't…" She took a deep breath. "I could not; I _would_ not allow your feelings for me to be used as the bait to lure you in." Sirius frowned. She continued, her eyes pleading for him to understand, "If you had thought I was being threatened in any way, you would have done _anything _to protect me. I knew that. If you no longer cared about me…"

"So you did it to _save_ me?" His voice was thick with accusation and pain. "You didn't trust me enough to tell me the _truth_, Rinna? What happened to your faith in me? What happened to your faith in what we had together?"

His eyes, his presence, his words shook her very being like a tremor shakes the earth. She stood helplessly as each memory and emotion associated with Sirius Black rose like a wave, and battered at her defenses relentlessly until each surge joined together and decimated her fortress walls like a tsunami levels a seawall.

"Sirius, the thought of losing you was killing me!"

"You were never in any danger of losing me!" he cried. "What happened to you, Rinna? Did you throw away your discernment, your common sense? How in the bloody hell would breaking our engagement keep you from losing me?" His voice grew louder in anger, "Explain the logic in that, Rinna, because I sure as hell want to know…"

He saw the look in her eyes and knew he was going too far. He couldn't help himself as the anguish and anger he'd felt and nurtured for thirteen years erupted. _The irony, of course, is that it was these feelings that helped keep you sane in Azkaban. She did, in fact, save you by breaking your heart. _

Rinna bowed her head, knowing she deserved every iota of his wrath, but that knowledge did not stop the guilt from striking like a thunderclap. Her citadel of safety she had so carefully crafted around her heart had been swept away; there was no protection from the pain and guilt, and the full weight of her actions crashed in on her, crushing away her breath and threatening her sanity.

_There is no way you can adequately explain to him why you did what you did. It will take a miracle for him to forgive you…_The force of her emotions had driven her to her knees, her face in her hands, breath coming in ragged gasps.

Sirius watched her crumple to the ground and felt his heart twist. Heaven help him, but he loved her still. As angry and hurt as he was, even now he loved her.

Sirius knelt next to her in concern. She lifted her head and looked in his eyes, dark like sapphires with emotion. He could identify what he saw in the depths of her eyes at that moment; after his many years in Azkaban, he recognized the look of despair.

She began to speak, voice weary and resigned. "Merlin knows I loved you, Sirius. Every word I spoke to you that day was a lie…" She broke off with a sob. Her hand flew to her mouth and she shook her head, unable to continue.

Perhaps it was the movement of her head, or maybe an errant shaft of late afternoon sun had escaped, but a red sparkle at her throat caught Sirius' attention. His eyes dropped, then widened as he took in the ruby pendant she wore. Without thinking, his hand reached out to touch it, and he heard the sharp inhalation of breath as his fingers made contact with her skin.

His eyes slid back up to hers, and he saw tears pooling there. "You still have it?" he questioned, hoarsely. She nodded, unable to trust herself to speak. "Why?" he wondered.

"I could not bear to part with it," she managed in a quiet, strained voice.

He let go of the necklace, but kept his eyes on it where it sat, scintillating, on her breastbone. He considered the words she had left unsaid, which mutely reverberated like an aphonic shout in the silence between them, and spoke louder than her answer ever could.

They knelt there, next to each other, perfectly still for an eternity, or perhaps just a few moments, until he held out his hand, and lifted her up to her feet. She couldn't look him in the face anymore, so she looked at her hand in his instead. He did not let go.

At last, after so many years, he knew the truth.

Sirius wasn't sure what he had expected from this encounter, but the warmth of her hand exploded into his awareness: this hand that he had longed to feel in his again, had dreamt about caressing his face, his body for so many years now. A sudden shift in the atmosphere became noticeable; like the change in barometric pressure before a thunderstorm. The air between them almost visibly twanged with tension, the same tension that tugged at him deep in his belly.

Rinna felt the change, too. Her heart flipped painfully in her chest. Sirius…had always been her weakness: one smile, one glimpse into the depths of his eyes, and she would do anything he asked, never regretting it even for a moment. His laugh filled her with happiness, his sexy lopsided smile made her melt; his sweet words whispered in her ear made her feel safe.

_No, that was how it used to be_, she told herself. _That was how it was before you broke faith with him, before you foreswore your promises and dreams with him._ She had only herself to blame. He was right; she hadn't trusted him enough. _And you have the audacity to ache for him now? You aren't deserving of him! _

_Guilt...Pain…Despair..._the assault on her heart was more than she could bear. She had no defenses now, no hope of deflecting the emotions that bombarded her and threatened to push her…to push her over…She knew, _knew_ that if she was to survive this unintended encounter with Sirius Black, she would need to make good her escape NOW.

She yanked her hand from his as if his touch burned her. "I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry," she whispered. "I need to go…I can't…I can't…" _The pain and guilt are too much for me. I'm a coward_. "I've got to go."

_DON'T LET HER GO THIS TIME!_ His heart screamed at him. "Rinna…" his voice was raspy, desperate.

She interrupted him. "Yours was not the only heart broken," she said softly to him. "I…I died that day." She turned and bolted.

_DON'T LET HER GO!_ Without conscious thought, Sirius' legs began to move as words tore from his throat, "RUBY! WAIT! Please don't…" He thought he saw a hitch in her gait, a hesitation at the use of his endearment for her, and he called out again, "Ruby…please…" But it was too late; he heard a _pop_ and she was gone… "NO!" His hands balled into fists in frustration as he fell to his knees in the soft grass, stunned.

* * *

Remus Lupin had stood in open-mouthed shock as he watched the scene play out. His immediate reaction was to apparate after Rinna, and find her and make sure she was all right; the look on her face had been frighteningly reminiscent of what he'd seen in her eyes so long ago… but the logical part of his mind reminded him there was no way to know where Rinna had gone. He sighed in frustration, and looked at Sirius on his knees on the lawn. Remus Lupin knew that, ultimately, at least in his mind, matters of the heart came second to the sacred bond of deepest friendship, and his oldest friend needed him. 

He moved quickly to Sirius' side, and crouched next to him, peering at his face. Sirius looked utterly lost. Remus took his arm, and tried to haul him to his feet. "Come on, Padfoot," he said gently, but firmly.

Suddenly Harry was at Sirius' other arm, assisting. "Harry, help me get him to the porch, please," Remus indicated the porch steps with his chin. Harry nodded in understanding and the two were successful in getting Sirius to his feet. They walked him to the steps and sat him down, each taking the spot on either side. Hermione and Ron came and sat beyond Harry, unsure what to do.

Remus felt strangely detached from the aching in his chest. He would have to deal with it later. He had always been the one to pick up the pieces after any crisis, minor or catastrophic, in his friends' lives. It was a skill he'd been gifted with, keeping his head and knowing how to handle people, and he knew he was being called to employ it now. He took a deep breath, shouldered all his own thoughts and feelings to the side, and prepared to do damage-control.

"Sirius, what in Merlin's name are you doing here?" he asked. "Why did you come back?" Sirius' head snapped up at the question. He turned haunted eyes to Remus and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"I'm afraid that's my fault, Professor," Harry confessed quietly. He looked at his shoes, once again ashamed and furious at himself for writing the blasted note to his godfather. "I sent him a letter asking about Rinna…"

Sirius made a sharp cutting gesture with his hand. "It is not Harry's fault. He didn't ask me to come back. When I read that Rinna had contacted him…I had to make sure Harry was safe. That she wasn't…" He looked up at Remus again. "But when I saw her with you, I knew she was all right. You wouldn't have let her near Harry if she wasn't."

"Sirius, she never would have…"

"I couldn't be sure, Moony."

"I know." Remus looked at him soberly. "You need to know what happened after…after…" he faltered, then took a deep breath and continued resolutely, "after Lily and James died."

"Why didn't she take Harry?" Sirius wanted to know. "She was supposed to take him if I…" His eyes begged for confirmation that his fiancée had not been a traitor.

"She couldn't take me," Harry interrupted again. "She'd been captured. By Voldemort. Captured and tortured." The two men turned to him: Remus in surprise that Harry knew this, and Sirius completely shocked by what he heard. Harry looked at Remus. "Rinna told me. I asked her why she let me go to the Dursleys. She told me about…about being in St. Mungo's after she went…" His voice trailed off when he saw the horrified look on Sirius' face.

Sirius turned to Remus, his eyes frosty with malice. "The bastard got her?" Remus nodded, his expression also hard as steel. Sirius shot up from the step, anger radiating off him in waves. "He just couldn't wait to get his effing hands on her—"

"Sirius!" Remus said sharply in warning. Sirius jerked around, and saw his friend roll his eyes toward the teens sitting on the steps with their eyes wide, taking everything in. Sirius took a deep breath and ran his hands through his disheveled hair. He was so exhausted, he wasn't even thinking clearly.

Remus got up and put his hands on Sirius' shoulder. "I'll explain everything to you, but we need to find a safe place for you to stay." He glanced around, noting that most of the Weasleys had come out to the porch in response to the commotion earlier. He locked eyes with Molly. He saw the expression on her face and shook his head. "He can't stay here, Molly. Arthur cannot afford to be caught harboring a fugitive."

Molly looked at her husband, then at the gaunt man standing in her backyard. "Sirius," she said kindly, "Harry told us everything. Is there anything we can do for you?"

"Name it," agreed Arthur.

Sirius wearily scrubbed his face with his hand, then looked at the Weasleys. "Thank you, but I'm not sure." He swayed on his feet. "I'm sorry. I've been traveling on very little sleep, and I can't remember when I ate last…" His knees buckled and Remus steadied him.

Molly clicked her tongue in anger. "That's it. Get him inside this instant!" she snapped. Harry jumped up and took Sirius' other arm again. "He's starved, sleep-deprived and has had a nasty shock! I am not turning him away, Arthur!" her defiant eyes met her husband's.

"I'm not asking you to, Molly," Arthur said mildly, and he swung open the kitchen door.

Harry and Remus helped Sirius up the steps, and Remus caught Molly's eye. She raised her eyebrows, daring him to challenge her authority, but he merely smiled slightly at her and nodded. "I won't argue with you, Molly, at least, not for the moment."

Ron, Hermione and the rest followed them inside. Sirius was seated at the table and Molly placed a huge plate of leftovers in front of him and watched to make sure he started eating. When she felt she had adequately mother-henned him, she stepped over to Remus and asked quietly, "Where did Rinna go? Is she all right?"

"I'm not sure," he replied worriedly. "Could I use the fireplace? I need to make arrangements for Sirius and I can see if Rinna is home…"

"Of course. Do you have any idea where you can take him?"

Remus nodded. There was one person he could trust, one person he could explain the whole debacle to, and she would agree to help in a heartbeat, at least he _hoped_ she would. He stepped into the living room, lit the fire, and placed his head in it. "Tonks?"

Nymphadora Tonks was startled to see Remus' face in her fireplace. Warning bells went off immediately in her head; he was supposed to be at Harry's birthday party. "Remus, what's wrong?"

"Is Rinna there?" he asked in concern.

"No. Why would she be here, she's supposed to be at Harry's party with you!" She saw Remus grimace. "Bloody hell, Remus! Is something wrong? What's happened?"

Remus sighed wearily. "Look, Tonks, do you remember the other night, when we had dinner? What we talked about?" He saw her nod confusedly. He had to be very careful about what he said next. "Well, I have a situation here… a stray that needs shelter." He waited for her to catch his reference.

Her eyes widened in comprehension. "You mean…?"

"Right," he interrupted her. "I know that it is rather _inconvenient_ to ask, given your _situation_…but he needs a safe place to stay…"

Remus could see her contemplating the implications of taking Sirius in. Just like Arthur, she could little afford to be caught aiding wizarding England's most notorious renegade. But Remus was fresh out of ideas. He could NOT take Sirius to Mundungus Fletcher's, for obvious reasons, the foremost being that Mundungus probably wouldn't hesitate to turn him in for the reward money.

Tonks looked at him, determination in her eyes. "All right, I'll do it. But how are we going to get him here unseen?"

Remus grinned in relief. "Leave it to me. It will be easier than you think. Expect us later tonight."

"Right. Now tell me what has happened to Rinna? You've worried me no end."

"She had an encounter with the stray that upset her." Remus shrugged apologetically. "I can't say more right now. Tonks, could you go to her house and see if she's there?"

Tonks looked at him in frustration. "I will, but you have a lot of explaining to do, Remus Lupin!"

"I will, I promise. Thanks, Tonks." He removed his head from the fireplace and rubbed it. He felt a raging headache coming on.

* * *

Molly returned to the table to sit and watch with satisfaction as Sirius tucked in to the food. He looked up at her and remarked, "Your cooking is even better than I remembered, Molly." He realized he was under a great deal of scrutiny, since most of the family had sat back down at the table. He looked across the table at Harry and his friends. "Hey, Ron, how's the leg?" he asked gruffly. 

"Oh, uh, it's fine. Never better, really," was Ron's surprised answer.

Sirius' eyes traveled to Ron's left. "All right, Hermione?"

She nodded, then added, "How's Buckbeak?"

"Oh, he's safe and doing fine." Sirius looked around the table at the rest of them. "Hullo, Bill, Charley," he said. They nodded to him.

Molly cleared her throat and stepped in to ease the awkwardness. "Those are the twins, Fred and George. They are not usually that pink. This is Ginny. Percy is upstairs…"

"Mum, you probably should leave him up there… he doesn't need to know we are entertaining Sirius Black at this particular moment," Bill suggested

"Right," Molly agreed. She said to Sirius, "The whole family knows the truth. The kids were quite certain you were coming here, and we didn't want anyone pulling wands first and asking questions later."

"Well, I appreciate that," he said sardonically. Sirius looked at Harry who was sitting across from him at the table. "Harry, I'm sorry, but I don't have anything for you for your birthday."

"What?" Harry was incredulous. "Sirius! You could be caught and sent back to Azkaban! How can you be thinking of birthday presents?" He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Why did you come back, Sirius? Not that I'm not glad to see you," he added hurriedly, "but…"

Sirius looked at him piercingly. "I was worried about you," he said simply.

"Because I mentioned Rinna in my letter?" Harry asked. Sirius nodded. "I wish I hadn't written that stupid letter," Harry lamented. "If it hadn't been for that, you'd never have come back and put yourself back in danger." Harry mussed his hair more, looking very anxious. "Sirius, you need to get out of England!"

Sirius looked at him with a rueful smile. "I'm afraid it is a bit more complicated now, Harry. I have unfinished business to attend to."

Harry countered, "What? With Rinna? Why? She broke your heart!" He felt fiercely protective of his godfather, and responsible for putting him in danger. Someone had to make him see how unreasonable he was being, how dangerous it would be for him to stay.

"Harry," said Sirius gently, "I need to find out what had happened to her… I need to know—"

"WHY?" Harry interjected. Now that he knew it was _Rinna_ who had ended the relationship, he couldn't understand why Sirius would want to have anything to do with her.

Sirius looked at him for a long moment. How could he explain to Harry, when he barely knew the answer himself? "I don't know…except for the fact that not a day went by while I was in Azkaban that I didn't think of her…" He looked into his godson's worried face. "Harry," he said exasperatedly, "I eluded capture this entire past year. I think I'm quite capable of remaining at large and out of prison."

Arthur slipped into the conversation. "Which brings us back to the question of where you will stay…"

"I refuse to bring you and your family into danger, Arthur. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, I'm betting that Remus is already finagling some solution, and if not…like I said, I am very good at staying hidden."

"As it would happen," came a voice from the entry to the kitchen, "I believe I have plan, Padfoot."

"Well, Moony, that doesn't surprise me in the least," Sirius grinned tiredly at his old friend.

"Hang on," said George. "Padfoot and Moony? As in Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers?"

Fred looked stunned. "As in the Marauder's Map?"

Remus and Sirius looked at each other slightly wide-eyed, then back at the twins. "How do you know about the Marauder's Map?" asked Remus suspiciously, looking at Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Why, we were the ones…" began Fred.

"Who gave it to Harry," finished George.

"What on earth are you all talking about?" demanded Molly. "What map?"

Realization dawned in Remus' eyes. "So you're the ones who…"

"Nicked it from Filch? Yep, that's us!" said George cockily. "We sure owe you a great deal…OW!" George rubbed his shoulder where Fred had socked him and glared at his twin who was making odd contortions with his face. When George followed his brother's eyes in the direction they were rolling, his gaze fell upon his mother's very red and irate visage. George realized his faux pas and gulped.

"What did you nick…?" Molly began dangerously, but she was interrupted by a groan from Sirius who had placed his head in both hands, holding it as if in a great deal of pain. "Oh, Sirius," Molly cried as she rushed over to him, "are you all right?"

"I'm sorry, Molly, but I'm just exhausted, and my head is starting to hurt," Sirius said miserably, head still down in his hands. "I think I just need some rest…" He chanced a glance at the twins: all the kids saw him wink conspiratorially.

"Right then," Remus said in a brisk take-charge tone, "I think I'd better be getting him to a safe place." He placed his hands on Sirius' shoulders. "That is, if you think you can handle a Tandem Apparition, Sirius?" Sirius nodded, and then gripped his head again for effect. "Arthur, Molly, everyone, thank you for your hospitality," said Remus. "And happy birthday, Harry."

Sirius stood and looked at Harry. "Happy birthday, Harry. We'll be in touch, and don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He shook Arthur's hand, "Goodnight, Arthur." He stopped in front of Molly, took her hand and bowed over it. "Thank you, Molly, for all your kindness. I really appreciate it."

Molly squeezed his hand and looked into his sunken, haunted eyes. "I wish there was more I could do for you, Sirius."

"You've done plenty. I won't allow you to risk yourselves anymore on my account." He squeezed her hand back, then followed Remus to the door. He was surprised to see Harry already there, blocking his exit.

Harry locked eyes with Sirius for a long moment, and then the two of them moved toward each other for a hug (one of the quick manly kinds that involve a few slaps on the back). Harry stepped back and said, "Stay safe, Sirius. That can be your birthday present to me, okay?"

Sirius reached out and ruffled Harry's hair affectionately. "Right." And without another word, he followed Lupin out.

The two men walked silently out the side gate and into the wooded area behind the house. "That was a fine bit of dissembling you did back there, Padfoot," Remus finally commented.

"Do you reckon we distracted Molly from the twins' gaffe?" Sirius asked.

"Are you kidding? You know what she's like!" was Remus' reply.

"So she hasn't mellowed out over the years?" Sirius asked.

Remus responded with a snort and a dry, "Hardly!"

"Those two boys are goners, then!" Sirius shook his head sadly. Then he stumbled. Remus shot out a hand to steady him as Sirius said, "I hate to say, but it wasn't really an act, Moony. I feel completely knackered."

They stopped walking and Remus pulled from his pocket a ribbon taken from the flotsam of torn gift wrapping that had been left in the Weasley living room. "Here's what we'll do. I wasn't joking about the Tandem Apparition, Pads. You need to transform, and I will apparate with you in my arms." He transfigured the ribbon into a collar and leash.

"Why?" asked Sirius, slightly suspicious.

"Because we are apparating into suburban London, and I don't want you seen, nor any trace of you apparating to be found."

"Where are we going?" Sirius inquired.

"To your cousin's."

"Andromeda's?"

"No, to her daughter's…Nymphadora Tonks."

* * *

Tonks opened her door to find Remus Lupin standing on her landing with a large, black dog sitting by him. She cast a puzzled look to the dog, who thumped his tail and opened his mouth in a tongue-lolling grin. Her eyes returned to Remus, begging the question. 

"May we come in, Tonks?" Remus inquired softly.

"Right, right. Of course!" she exclaimed, regaining her composure and standing aside to let them in. She followed them into the room saying, "It's completely warded, Remus. I set extra spells after we spoke."

At her words, the large dog changed into the thin rag-tag form of Sirius Black. "Hullo, Tonks," he said. He looked her up and down. "You have certainly grown up since I last saw you!"

To her credit, she recovered quickly from the shock of finding out her fugitive relative was an Animagus. "I was ten, Sirius," she retorted acerbically. "Of course I've grown up!" Her voice softened, "How are you, cousin?"

"Quite dead on my feet, actually, to be honest."

Tonks flew into a flurry of activity. "Have you eaten? Shall I make some tea? Here, sit down. Put your feet up." She pushed him to the couch and unceremoniously shoved him down, throwing a ratty knitted afghan over his legs. "What can I get you? Anything?"

Remus grinned at the sight of Tonks going all motherly all of a sudden. Sirius looked like he didn't know what hit him, but managed to say, "I've eaten, but some tea would be nice…"

Tonks whirled and immediately tripped over her own feet. She stumbled to the kitchen, and the two men heard the teakettle hit the floor, followed by a few muttered oaths.

Remus sat down on a chair, still grinning. Sirius looked at him a bit wide-eyed. "I take it she hasn't outgrown the clumsiness, then?" he queried.

"One of her many endearing qualities, that." Remus smirked.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You know her well, then?"

Remus remembered that Sirius was completely in the dark. "We became reacquainted through Rinna," he explained. "The two of them were flat mates for two years."

Sirius digested this rather startling news. He pondered what he'd already learned of Rinna this afternoon, and realized that he had not considered that she would have continued on, changing and maturing. Seeing his young cousin a grown woman brought that fact home. Neither Rinna nor Remus had spent twelve years in a state of arrested development, or suspended animation, if you will, as he had. The thought struck fear into his heart: what if they had changed, what if they were not the people he remembered anymore?

"I think you had better fill me in now, Moony," he said gravely.

Tonks managed to get the teacups and teapot to the living room in one piece, and served it without scalding anyone, so she curled up in the remaining armchair with satisfaction and listened as Remus related to Sirius an abridged version of events regarding Rinna since the deaths of the Potters.

Remus watched as Sirius struggled to keep his eyes open, and found himself punctuating his narrative with the phrase "I can tell you more about that tomorrow" more and more often. Finally, he stopped and said, "Padfoot, there is something inherently creepy about an unconscious person sleeping with their eyes open, so what do you say I let you close yours and we'll finish this tomorrow."

Sirius was about to protest that no, he wanted to hear more, but he realized that he was looking at two very blurry Remuses and conceded defeat. He stretched himself out on the couch and closed his aching eyes. Unfortunately, just as he was about to slip into unconsciousness, the thought that had been scrabbling away in the depths of his mind, ever since he saw Rinna turn and run from him, finally broke through to the surface.

His eyes shot open. "Remus!" he croaked.

Instantly, his friend was at his side. "What is it, Sirius?"

"Remus, I came back because of her. I can't get her out of my head."

Remus ignored the spasm around his heart. "I know, Sirius."

It was clear that Sirius was now beyond merely exhausted and had slipped into delirium. "What if it's too late? If I've lost her forever? Bloody hell, Moony!" Sirius grabbed at Remus' arm and looked at him, wild-eyed. "What if there is another bloke?"

Time seemed to stop for Remus Lupin as he stared at Sirius' hand on his forearm and blinked.

_This is it. Now's your chance to fight for your claim on Rinna's heart,_ said one part of his mind, the part that had been quietly waiting for such a time as now. But the more rational side of him pointed out: _You have no claim on Rinna's heart. You know she is really in love with Sirius._

_But she loves you,_ the first voice spoke. _You know she does._

_Yes. She does, _was the answer. _She does love me, but not in the way she loves Sirius. And Sirius is still in love with her. They deserve another chance at happiness…_

Remus lifted his eyes to Sirius' face and said, quietly but clearly, "There may have been another bloke…but he's out of the picture now."

"Are you sure, Moony?" Sirius searched his friend's face for the confirmation he needed to squelch the disturbing thought that had been tormenting his heart and mind.

Remus nodded resolutely, sealing his fate. "I'm sure."

A sigh of relief escaped Sirius' lips, and his eyes slid closed as his mind allowed sleep to finally claim him. Remus turned away, a shuttered expression on his tired face.

Tonks, who hadn't missed the exchange, walked over to where Remus was standing looking morosely into the fire. She gently touched his shoulder and handed him a newly warmed cup of tea. "Come join me on the balcony, Remus," she entreated. "Let's talk."

He followed her out. "Did you find Rinna?" he asked.

"I flooed her twice, but no answer."

"Damn it!" he swore, turning around to go back inside. "I've got to find her!"

Tonks grabbed his arm. "Hang on, Remus. She's fine. We both know what she does when she is upset." She turned him around and led him to one of the ugly dark green plastic chairs that, thankfully, had a garishly striped cushion on it. He took a seat as she continued, "She is going to go for a run, or beat the stuffing out of a boxing dummy, or both."

Remus frowned in concern. "I don't know, Tonks. The look on her face when she ran off…"

"She ran off?" Tonks snapped in surprise. "You failed to mention that detail. What happened?"

"Sirius showed up unexpectedly at the Weasleys and immediately confronted her about breaking off the engagement. They had a bit of a row. At least, Sirius was yelling. But she seemed to just…I don't know, it was like all the calm detachment she's perfected over the years disappeared." He looked up at Tonks, eyes dark with worry. "The look on her face, it reminded me of how she looked that time, when they told her what Sirius allegedly did…"

"When she went mental, you mean," Tonks whispered, feeling alarm stir in her gut at Remus' words.

"I'm worried about how she is handling this, Tonks. I'm worried she is off somewhere drinking herself into oblivion…"

Tonks studied his face, her eyes tracing the lines of worry above his brows. "You love her, don't you?" she asked softly.

He jerked, and eyed her warily. "Of course I love her," he replied, a little too hastily, "She's one of my dearest friends."

She leaned back in her chair and sighed, affixing him with a look of disdain. "Oh please, a person has to have a certain level of intelligence to become an Auror, you know. Don't insult mine." Remus looked at her but didn't speak. She leaned forward. "I've known you well for three years, and every time I've been with you both the chemistry between you two has been palpable. I heard what you told Sirius." She leaned back again, never taking her eyes from his. "I happen to know that the only bloke in her life is you. I just hadn't realized you two had actually hooked up…"

Remus winced. "We didn't actually, uh, 'hook up' as you so eloquently put it," he said tartly.

Tonks arched an eyebrow and looked at him with an iron-hard gaze that he would from now on forever classify as her "Auror look." He squirmed. "So what exactly IS the nature of your relationship, then?" she grilled him.

Remus realized he had made a grave error in judgment about this seemingly clumsy, innocuous witch before him. Beneath her klutzy, good-natured exterior beat the heart of a ruthless interrogator. He immediately felt sorry for any perpetrators of crime she ever chanced to apprehend.

"Remus?" she prompted.

"You are like a bulldog," he snapped in exasperation. "It was nothing." Her eyebrow arched again. "Well, there was some snogging." Her other eyebrow joined the first. "All right, you horrible wench. There was a lot of snogging, if you must know. But it doesn't matter now."

"Why?"

"Because it isn't me she wants, it's Sirius."

She studied him. "And you know this how?"

"Because it's his name she calls in her sleep." As soon as he said it, he realized his slip. "It's not what you're thinking," he amended hastily.

"Snogging, and sleeping with her? My, my, Professor," she clucked her tongue, enjoying his discomfiture immensely.

He stood up and threw his arms in the air in vexation. "We were drunk and ended up in bed together." At the look on her face, he realized that once more, the words came out wrong. He smacked his forehead with his hand. "Oh shit." He took a deep breath, and fixed her with a stern glare. "We were fully clothed. Nothing happened. You," he pointed his finger at her, "should get your mind out of the gutter."

She kicked her feet up onto the plastic table in front of her and smirked saucily at him. "But why? It's so nice and comfy here in the gutter. You really should try it sometime, Professor," she purred.

"Tonks, why are you doing this?"

She jumped up with another mercurial change of mood, and strode over to him. She put her hand on his shoulder. "I know what you are doing. You are making your noble sacrifice, stepping aside and denying yourself something you've always wanted, for the sake of your friends. It's what you _do_, Remus." He looked away from her intense gaze. "Was this how it was at school, too? Did you deny your feelings for her then, because of Sirius?" she asked gently.

Remus pulled away from her. "I'm a werewolf, Tonks," he said bitterly. "What do I have to offer any woman, really?"

She walked around him to face him again. "Hey," she put her hand to his cheek, and to her surprise, he didn't shy away. "You, as much as the next bloke, deserve the love of a good woman." She smiled gently at him. "I wish you would realize that." She leaned forward and kissed his other cheek, astounding him. "As to what you have to offer… Most women I know are looking for someone who is kind and good, a gentleman who will respect them and cherish them. Someone like you, Remus." She rubbed her thumb across his cheek as she removed her hand, and then turned for the door to the flat.

Remus was so stunned, he was unable to move. "Where are you going?" he whispered.

"To try to find Rinna," she told him. "Stay here with Sirius. He needs you right now."

Remus stayed on the balcony for a long time after she left, his hand on his cheek where she kissed him, and his heart churning with emotions.

* * *

The Trio found themselves out on the back porch as Harry's natal day stretched into evening, and the stars began to twinkle overhead. Hermione cast an appraising eye over Harry as he sat slumped on the old wicker loveseat staring off into the woods beyond the garden. She was sitting on the porch railing, leaning against the post that supported the roof. Ron had pulled up a chair in front of Harry. The silence had long ago moved from merely uncomfortable to interminable. Hermione could take it no longer. With a dramatic sigh, she swung her legs down, hopped off the rail and moved to take a seat next to Harry. 

"Really, Harry. It wasn't a total loss, this whole day. It was quite a splendid birthday, for the most part, don't you think?" she cajoled.

Ron took his cue from her. "Yeah, mate. The Quidditch games were ruddy brilliant!"

Harry knew what they were trying to do: cheer him up. He could count on them for that, just like he could count on them keeping him company for an hour as he sat in a funk while the sky grew dark. He could also count on them listening to him telling them exactly where the day went wrong without thinking he was a whiny brat. Well, without _telling_ him they thought he was a whiny brat, anyway.

He gave them a half-smile. "You're right. It was a spectacular day. Right up to the point where Sirius showed up. No, wait. I take that back. Right up until the point that Sirius' name was brought up over cake and ice cream, and Rinna got all shirty."

"Well, you can't really blame her, Harry," Ron pointed out. "Mum was practically suggesting that she and Sirius set the wedding date, and in reality she had broken up with him."

"And then the two of them had their showdown…" Harry added.

"Yeah," Hermione said softly. "That was pretty awful."

The little group lapsed into silence again, Harry looking at the weathered floor sullenly. It was he who shattered the quiet in a shaken voice, "I can't believe that she broke his heart, that she hurt him."

"Oh Harry," Hermione said as she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. Ron leaned forward, his arms across his legs, fingers laced together, a worried expression on his face. Neither knew what to say.

Harry gave a mirthless little laugh. "There was a moment there," he indicated the shadowy spot on the lawn where the scene had taken place, "when I thought they were going to get back together." He ran his hand through his hair. "And then she ran off, and I got this pain in my chest…I wonder if that was what Sirius' was feeling like, you know?"

"Harry…" Ron said helplessly.

Harry's voice rose a little. "Ever since Bill took the charm off those photos, I've been staring at them and thinking about them reuniting and then we could live together, like a family… and now, I don't think that will ever happen." His voice quivered, and he swallowed hard.

Hermione let out a little sob and pulled him to her side, laying his head on her shoulder and resting the side of her head against his. Ron reached out and gripped his knee in sympathy. They did not want to encourage this fantasy, not after what they had seen that afternoon, but neither did they want to dash his hopes. By this time, they were getting used to the long silences, so they remained there, providing what comfort they could.

A long time later, Molly stepped to the back door to send the three of them to bed, but when she saw the tableau, she thought better of disturbing them, and instead set about to turning off the lights in the house. The kids had not realized how late it had gotten.

Harry lifted his head from the warm comfort of Hermione and looked at his two best friends. "Thanks," he said hoarsely.

Ron stood up and yawned hugely. "You coming up, mate?" he asked Harry.

"In a bit."

"Right. Well, good night Harry, Mione."

"Night," they answered in unison.

Harry stood up and stretched, then offered Hermione his hand. He pulled her up from the seat. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. I just wish I could give you one more birthday present," she said as she squeezed his hand.

"Really? What's that?"

"I wish I could make you feel better." She smiled sadly at him, then stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the forehead. "Good night, Harry."

He found himself reaching for her as she turned away, and he took her hand and pulled her back to him. "I always feel better when you are around, Mione," he said seriously as he gazed into her dark eyes. Her breath caught as he reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. They held each other's eyes for several moments longer than they should have. He leaned in a little, and her breath hitched again as she tilted her chin up.

Harry felt warm all over, and he imagined he felt her pulse quicken where his fingers still gripped her wrist. Their faces moved closer together as they held each other captive with their eyes until…their noses bumped, painfully. Hermione gasped.

"Oh, sorry," Harry said, embarrassed, and he smiled uncertainly as Hermione let out a nervous giggle.

"It's okay," she said. After an awkward pause, she added, "Well, good night, Harry," and this time kissed him on the cheek. Harry grinned like a fool.

Hermione stopped at the door to the house and turned. "Happy birthday, Harry," she said shyly, and then slipped inside.

Harry's fingers touched the spot on his cheek where her lips had just been and he smiled happily, his worries about his godparents momentarily forgotten, as he made his way in the house and to bed.

* * *

**A/N:Please let me know what you thought of this chapter; I'd really like to hear your opinion. Thanks to everyone who responded to my review challenge last chapter: you not only got me past the 50 mark, but you pushed me all the way to 60! Do I hear 70? Yes? The lovely lady in the back? Splendid! Scroll down to the "go" button below and leave your review. Cheerio!**

16


	11. Coping

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 11: Coping**

**Disclaimer: Here's a big surprise: I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters. They do, however, seem to want to play around in my head, take me hostage and make me write about them: hence this story. I also do not own Jack Daniels; believe me, I checked my cupboard. Oh, and I don't own the brand names Jack Daniels or Guinness, either. Any characters or places you see here that you don't find in her books, well, they are products of my wild little imagination. **

The cemetery was washed with the warm late-afternoon light that gave an orangey-yellow glow to the white marble grave markers. Had her thoughts not been completely jumbled, she would have been grateful for all those emergency apparition drills she'd been subjected to long ago. Each Order member had to have a spot they could apparate to under any circumstances, whether exhausted, injured, threatened, or whatever. It was that ingrained skill that had brought her here; and it was a good thing, for in the state of mind she'd been when she left the Weasleys' so unceremoniously, she could have easily splinched herself.

But Rinna was not thinking about these things when she arrived in the northwest corner of the cemetery. In fact, she barely registered the marble markers she stood in front of. Her mind played the scene she'd just been part of over and over, and it didn't matter if she shut her eyes or not, she could not make her brain stop. She shook her head with a sound that was something of a cross between an exclamation of frustration and a sob, and crouched down, unconsciously spreading her hand on the cool marble in front of her. Her hand made circles on the smooth stone in time to the words chanting mockingly in her head: _You. Broke. My. Heart. You. Broke. My. Heart. You…_

Suddenly, her fingers slipped into a cut in the marble, startling her back to the present. Her eyes opened to find her fingertips in the "A" of the first name on the marker to the left: Albert Lau Loong. Her eyes jerked to the right: Avril Dunlevy Lau. Her breath hitched as she looked at the headstones, cheerily bathed in creamy warm light. If she had been looking for a place to soothe her tumultuous emotions, this was the _last_ place she should have come.

She stood up resolutely, but her eyes flickered down once more to the names on the marble. Merlin, how she missed them. She wanted to feel her mother's arms around her, and hear her gentle cultured voice telling her everything would be all right. She wanted to hear her stepfather's lilting speech imparting wise words to her in his accented English… "Mum, Ah Loong, I miss you…" she whispered.

She felt the familiar twitch: the urge for physical release from the intense emotions she was experiencing. Her legs wanted to move, to run, to run away fast and hard until the muscles in her thighs and calves burned with exertion and she was so exhausted she couldn't think or listen to her thoughts anymore…

She looked down at her feet: bah! Sandals were not suitable. She would have to go home and change. Yes. That's what she would do. There was nothing for her in this place, save painful reminders of tragic loss to further endanger her fragile state of mind. Trainers… she needed her trainers. She closed her eyes, blocking out the image of the cemetery, and disappeared with a _pop_.

----- -----

Usually the pounding of her feet on the path would take on a rhythm that seemed to soothe away any seething, anxious thoughts and helped rein in her emotions. Tonight, however, as the sun started to set, her footfalls seemed to taunt her: _You. Broke. My. Heart. You. Broke. My. Heart. You…_

She picked up her pace and changed her stride, hoping the new cadence would cancel the tormenting chant, or that she might at least get a nice piercing stitch in her side to distract her. Oh, she got the stitch, alright, but Sirius' words continued to echo through her head. _This is no help._ She shook her head as a horse might shake off an offending fly, trying to dislodge the voice in her mind, but only succeeded in throwing herself off balance.

She landed on the side of the park path, hard. Her eyes closed in reaction to the pain of her scraped hands and knees and she immediately saw a pair of indigo eyes filled with hurt and confusion. _Damn! _It was no use. She picked herself up and began to make her way home.

She shoved her way through the door, and went immediately to the kitchen. She knew what she needed: something that would drown out the words and pictures looping through her mind over and over. She needed to just NOT think for a while, NOT feel for a while. Part of her hated herself even as she reached into the cupboard: _this is another sign of weakness, you know._

She determinedly pulled down the fire whiskey decanter. It was nearly empty. _What the hell? And what happened to the top? _Then she remembered drinking the whiskey with Remus, and that she had shattered the top just a few days ago. _Was it really a few days? It seems like so long ago. Never mind. There is bound to be another bottle…_ But her search through the back of the cupboard brought up only a half-used bottle of cooking sherry. _Damn._

She turned to the refrigerator. _There should be a bottle of wine chilling_… but no, that was consumed the other night with Remus and Dorrie. Sure enough, she pulled the bottle out of the waste bin, and set it on the table where it mocked her with its emptiness. She returned to the fridge, and her hand reached further back, encountering a bottle. _What?_ She pulled it out, and found herself holding a bottle of Guinness. _Ugh. Where did that come from?_ Then she remembered that Dumbledore was rather fond of the thick Muggle beer and she had bought some for the strategy meetings earlier that summer.

She laid out her meager stock on the table. Unfortunately, it would not be sufficient and none of the bottles had refilling charms on them. But maybe if she drank them fast enough… _My stars, I'm pathetic and desperate._ And yet, her newfound obsession with alcohol _was_ taking her mind off her larger problem somewhat. She sighed and reached for the beer. _Couldn't hurt to try._

She set down the now-empty whiskey bottle (next to the now-empty sherry bottle), annoyed that she and Remus had drunk so much of it last month. She froze. _Oh sweet Merlin. REMUS. _Her heart gave a little spasm. She groaned as a sandy-haired, hazel-eyed face moved to join the other desultory images that had suddenly sprung again to the forefront of her mind. Her stomach chose that moment to reject the horrid concoction of alcohol she'd poured into it. With a strangled sob, she sprinted for the loo.

* * *

Nymphadora Tonks stepped out of the fireplace into Rinna's living room and surveyed the premises. She had been alarmed enough by Remus' words that she was determined to do more than poke her head into the fireplace this time, respect for her friend's privacy be damned. Nothing seemed amiss here, so she stepped into the kitchen and froze.

_Oh no! Remus was right,_ she thought as she inventoried the contents of the kitchen table: a decanter of fire whiskey, a bottle of wine, a funny stout bottle of that Muggle beer and a bottle of Fat Friar's Cooking Sherry. All were completely empty. _Bloody hell! Had she drunk all of that? _Tonks shook her head; she thought she knew her friend very well, but apparently not. _Well, better find her and assess the damage._

Rinna's house appeared empty, even her bedroom. Then Tonks heard a muffled moan coming from the bathroom, and she moved toward the door, pushing it open gently, fearing the worst. It was not a pretty sight. Her red-headed friend was lying down with her face on the floor in front of the toilet, one hand still resting on the rim of the bowl, eyes closed and breathing erratically. Tonks frantically tried to remember the spell to counter the effects of alcohol poisoning. "Oh shit."

Rinna's eyes snapped open and she rolled onto her back, squinting up at Tonks through tear-swollen eyes. "What?"

"You're drunk."

Rinna groaned and sat up. "I wish." She heaved herself up to standing, and went to the sink for her toothbrush.

She was walking awfully well for someone completely pissed. Tonks was confused. "You're not drunk?"

Rinna looked at Tonks' reflection in the mirror. "Sadly, unfortunately, distressingly, no. Not for lack of trying, mind you."

"But, but, what about all those bottles on the table?"

Rinna snorted and finished brushing her teeth. She turned and ticked her points on her fingers. "The wine: empty from the other night. The sherry: half-full. The Guinness, nasty stuff, that: all right, that was full. And the whiskey: only one and a quarter jiggers. None of which lingered in my stomach for even five minutes before I honked it up into the toilet."

"Well I should say. Disgusting combination, that. Any self-respecting stomach would reject that out of hand," Tonks replied, a slight smile playing at her mouth now that she was over her fright. She turned in the doorway as Rinna walked past her and into the bedroom. "Well, if you haven't been on a bender these last few hours, where have you been?"

Rinna arched an eyebrow at her. "Didn't they teach you the fine art of observation in Auror Training, Dorrie?" she asked, dramatically waving her hand down her body. Tonks took in the track pants, t-shirt and trainers. "I've been running."

Tonks flopped dramatically onto the comfy armchair in the corner and sighed. "Give me a break, Dunnie. I've spent the last few hours dealing with an anxious werewolf who was pacing around my flat worried to death that you were drinking yourself into oblivion, and I'm feeling a bit frazzled after that fright you just gave me on your bathroom floor." She felt it was wise to avoid mentioning that her renegade cousin was also staying in her flat at that moment.

"So that's where Remus is, then," Rinna whispered. She sat on the bed and leaned forward, elbows on her knees and head in her hands. "I just completely left him and ran when Sirius showed up."

"Dunnie," Tonks groaned, getting up and moving to sit next to her on the bed, "Is there anything I can do? Do you want to talk?"

Rinna flopped backward onto the mattress. "No. I don't want to talk about it. I just want it all to go away." Tonks joined her on her back on the bed. Rinna turned to look at her. "I'm hoping you brought some of my favorite Muggle stuff…"

Tonks turned on her side and propped her head up on her hand, eyebrows raised. "That American whiskey? Jack Daniels? Well, no. Sorry, luv; there will be no fling with Captain Jack for you tonight."

Rinna eyed her grumpily. "What happened to the Nymphadora Tonks' Method of Coping: Alcohol…Hmmm?"

"No. It is the Nymphadora Tonks' _Formula_ for Coping, and you are forgetting the formula: Alcohol, Dancing and Men." She cracked a grin. "You should know, Dunnie, as an excellent potions maker yourself, that ingredients must be combined to be effective…especially ingredients that are potentially lethal on their own…"

Rinna let out a rueful snort. "Well, that explains why my pathetic attempt at drowning my sorrows failed," she said dryly. She grew quiet, staring at the ceiling.

"Sure you don't want to talk about it?" Tonks inquired softly.

Rinna let out a long sigh, but didn't answer. Finally, she rolled over and grabbed the pillows from the head of the bed, offering one to Tonks, and hugging the other to herself as she rolled on her side. "It was awful," she whispered as tears filled her eyes. "It was bad enough knowing I had broken his heart, but to hear the words come from his own mouth…" She trailed off. She looked into Tonks' sympathetic eyes, caramel brown today, and was suddenly grateful that her young friend had come over. Her words began pouring out, like dogs loosed before the hunt.

"He said I hadn't trusted him enough, and he's right. I was such an idiot. I believed I had everything under control and it was just a huge illusion. I played right into the enemy's hands. DAMNIT!" She slammed her fist into the bed. "I shattered our lives and for nothing. I don't think he will ever be able to forgive me for that."

"You don't think so?" asked Tonks, thinking of Sirius' words to Remus.

"Well…there was a moment, Dorrie, when I was running out of the Weasleys' yard, when I thought I heard…no, I must have imagined it." She shook her head.

Tonks took her arm and shook it gently. "Imagined what? Tell me."

Rinna took a deep breath, afraid of voicing the one thin gossamer strand of hope she'd held on to these last few hours lest it snap and float away. She suspected this was the only tenuous barrier standing between her and another mental breakdown. She closed her eyes and murmured, "I thought I heard him say 'Ruby, wait!' Then I think he said it again as I apparated."

"Ruby?" Tonks queried, puzzled.

"It was his pet name for me." She rolled onto her back again. "Why would he call me that? Why ask me to wait?" She sat up and turned her anguished gaze to her friend.

Tonks looked at Rinna as she sat up too, and prayed she would say the right thing. She had never dreamed once in a million years that she would be the one playing the big sister role. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She was at least fairly certain that Rinna _had_ heard what she thought Sirius had called out as she fled; it made sense with what she had overheard in her apartment. "Why indeed? Perhaps you left the conversation too soon."

Tears flowed from Rinna's eyes as she spoke, hushed and hesitant. "I had to leave, I had to. All these years, I've been able to take any errant memory of him, any stray thought, and lock it away so it wouldn't burn away at my heart. But when I saw him, face to face, when I looked into his eyes…oh Merlin, his eyes," she sobbed. Tonks put an arm around her reassuringly. She sniffled loudly and continued, "I couldn't hide any of it away any more. It was like, like trying to contain a whirlwind…impossible. It all came rushing in on me, all of it. How I had betrayed him, betrayed us…" She tried to catch her shuddering breath. "How I would _never_ have him again because of what I did… I had to go, I had to, I couldn't take it anymore, it hurt too much…" She was crying so hard now that she could no longer speak.

Tonks pulled her into her arms and stroked her back. "Shhh, shush now. Let it out." Tonks rocked her anguished friend back and forth and held her as she cried. She had never in the time she'd known her seen Rinna cry like this.

Finally, the sobbing ceased. "Sorry," came Rinna's apology, muffled by Tonks' shoulder.

"What the hell do you have to be sorry for? After all the times I cried on _your_ shoulder about stupid men…"

Rinna snorted a quick subdued laugh and pulled away.

Tonks reached out to Rinna's face with the edge of a pillow case, drying her tears. "Hey, Rinna luv, I don't think the main question is whether or not Sirius can forgive you for what you did."

Rinna looked at her in surprise. "What? What do you mean?"

"I think the question is: can you forgive yourself?"

* * *

Arinna Dunlevy stood nervously at the base of the steps leading up to the front porch of the Burrow, a box of biscuits from her favorite bakery in her hand, anxiously shifting her weight from one leg to the other. She looked up at the front door with trepidation. She was sure that she was not emotionally ready to go in and face the interrogation that was sure to come from Molly after that little performance in the backyard yesterday afternoon. However, she had been raised in a very proper wizarding home, and good manners had been drilled into her from an early age, and her conscience demanded that she apologize for the appalling breach of social etiquette she had perpetrated when she ran away yesterday.

She sighed. If she was smart, she would turn and leave now. She was under the assault of many different emotions swirling around in her mind, and really, she was no better off than she had been last night. Try as she might to take each memory captive and tamp it down into the recesses of her heart, her mind refused to have any part of that old method of survival. It was ironic, that just when she needed it the most, the coping mechanism she had relied on, since childhood, really, if she was honest with herself, had failed her. And so she stood there, thoughts of Sirius and Remus making her heart ache, angry with herself, and full of shame for her behavior.

She climbed up the steps, hissing at the discomfort she was already feeling in her body from the Quidditch game yesterday. But the aching in her muscles was nothing compared to the aching she felt in her heart. She was too raw. _I should leave._

Numbly, she knocked on the door. Suddenly she found herself caught up in Molly's embrace. "Oh, thank heavens you are all right! I was very worried about you, luv!" She was pulled into the kitchen. "I have the teakettle going. We'll have a spot of tea." Rinna silently handed her the bakery box. "Oh, splendid. These will go nicely."

As she bustled about with the preparations, Molly glanced and saw that Rinna was still standing in the middle of the kitchen. "Come, sit, sit! Don't just stand there. Let's drink our tea and then I will find your things that you left here yesterday."

"Molly, I am so sorry for running off like that." Rinna said miserably.

Molly waved her off. "Rinna, it was understandable, after the shock you had. Now, sit."

Rinna sat. "How much of that debacle did you witness, anyway?" she asked.

Molly poured the tea. "Pretty much all of it, I'd say. Enough to get the gist of what had happened between you and Sirius."

Rinna groaned and dropped her head in her hands. "I had no idea that he would show up like that. I'm so sorry that you, that everybody had to witness that scene," she said with what sounded suspiciously like a sob.

Molly put a sympathetic hand on Rinna's shoulder. "Are you all right, Dearie?" Rinna shook her head. "Do you want to talk about it?" Rinna shook her head again. Molly sighed and made a moue of frustration. "Well, have you had anything to eat?"

Rinna shook her head once more. "I'm not terribly hungry," she said dully. Her stomach was feeling the effects of her emotional turmoil.

Whatever Molly was going to say in reply was interrupted by the banging of the back door as four teenaged bodies flung it open and plowed inside, flushed and sweaty from being outdoors and talking animatedly. The chatter died out when they saw the kitchen was occupied.

Rinna hastily stood up. "Hullo, Harry."

"Uh, hi," came Harry's hesitant reply. He was surprised to see her there.

"I, uh, came to tell you I'm sorry. For running off like I did yesterday," she said uncomfortably.

"Oh. Okay."

The awkward silence pressed in on her. She turned to Molly. "Right. Well, I need to get home, so I'll just get my things and…"

"Just a minute, dear, I'll go get them," Molly assured her, sensing Rinna's discomfort. Rinna hastily followed Molly out of the kitchen.

"Wait, Rinna!" called Harry as he ran after her, causing his godmother to jump, she was so wound up. She turned to him, puzzled. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that Sirius was coming."

Rinna's brows furrowed into a frown. "Hang on. You knew he was coming?" Harry nodded, shamefaced. "How could you have possibly known that?" she asked carefully.

Harry stammered, "Oh, uh, the first night I met you, I wrote him a letter, asking about you."

"You wrote him a letter about me," she repeated faintly.

Harry hung his head a little and nodded. "And he wrote me back."

"He wrote you back?" she asked incredulously. "And he told you he was coming to the Burrow?"

Harry scuffed his trainer on the floor. He cleared his throat and glanced at Ron and Hermione, who were pointedly looking anywhere but at Rinna. He was regretting opening his big mouth. "Well, not exactly…"

Rinna didn't miss the furtive exchange of glances. "What do you mean by 'not exactly?'" she inquired dubiously. Harry developed a sudden fascination with his trainers. Rinna's eyes narrowed. "May I see this letter?" she said with disconcerting calm. Harry fidgeted nervously. "You still have the letter, don't you?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not sure where it is," he hedged.

Rinna sighed and closed her eyes and began rubbing her temples with her fingertips. Her tone held more than a hint of impatience. "Do you suppose you could find it for me?"

Harry looked at his friends again. They stared at him wide-eyed, no help whatsoever. "Uh, I guess so. I'll go try to find it," Harry replied reluctantly. He turned and slowly went up the stairs. Rinna huffed in exasperation. She'd seen flobberworms move faster than he did. Ginny, Hermione and Ron, deciding they might be safer if they followed Harry, carefully avoided Rinna's gaze and slunk off after their friend.

Molly had returned and caught the end of the exchange. She looked at Rinna curiously, but didn't say anything. She simply set Rinna's things down and watched as Rinna nervously paced, obviously on tenterhooks. Harry seemed to take a long time.

Finally, he returned, Ron, Hermione and Ginny behind him. Rinna gestured impatiently to him, hand outstretched and fingers wriggling, and he slowly walked to her to grudgingly hand her the letter. Harry knew the letter was less than flattering. He wished he had lied and told her he didn't have it anymore.

As she opened the letter, Rinna felt a pang at seeing the familiar handwriting after so long. She began to read, and let out a snort at the first line. She continued to read, her lips moving ever so slightly, when she suddenly stopped. "What? He had doubts about where my loyalties lie?" she muttered.

Harry looked at her nervously. The pale skin of her face was beginning to turn red, and her mouth was pressed into a thin, hard line. He saw the movement of her eyes as she scanned the next line.

"What! 'I wish I could tell you that you can trust her?' He doesn't think I'm trustworthy?" Her indignation was mounting, and her ears were now flushing pink. Harry took a cautious step backwards. "'Be careful!' Who the hell does he…" Rinna felt like a spring being stretched too far.

Harry jumped when Rinna's eyes snapped from the letter to his face. "How long have you had this letter?" she barked.

"Uh, not long. I got it a couple of days ago…"

She had already returned to reading the rest of the contents of the letter, and began to mutter more angrily, "Remus didn't say anything about this. I need to talk to Remus." She heard a roaring in her ears as her anger began to mount. The last little rational part of her mind really wished she had not come to the Burrow today, as she was incapable of controlling the fury that suddenly consumed her at reading Sirius' hurtful assessment of her. She crumpled the letter in her hand and swore. Everyone flinched.

She threw the letter down in her temper and strode swiftly into the living room to stand at the fireplace. Molly quickly followed her. "Rinna dear, calm down! I'm sure there is a good explanation."

Hermione leaned over to Harry and murmured, "Well, here's proof that the Weasleys don't hold exclusive rights to that red-headed temper."

Harry cast her a flabbergasted look. His godmother looked like she was going to burst a blood vessel, and Hermione was joking? Couldn't she see that this was all his fault? _Stupid, wretched letter! _Writing it had been one of his most idiotic blunders ever. He moved toward the living room, and the others followed.

The four teens crowded through the living room door right as Rinna pulled out her wand and pointed it at the fireplace. "_Incendio!_" she bit out. Flinging some floo powder in, she crouched down and thrust her face in the fire.

Rinna's head appeared in the fireplace at Tonks' flat. "Dorrie? Dorrie! Is Remus still there? I need to talk to him!" Rinna's voice was shrill.

Remus was so startled that he immediately stood up and strode to the fireplace. "What is it, Rin—" His voice died as he took in the expression on her face. _Uh oh. Big trouble._ He hadn't seen her this livid in quite some time.

"Remus," she snapped, eyes flashing with angry fire, _or was it just the flames? Please just let it be the flames…_ Remus remembered the few times Rinna had been in a snit like this one, and he'd been grateful he had never been on the receiving end of it. It would seem his luck had run out today. Not that that wouldn't be in keeping with the theme of the last two days anyway…

"Remus!"

His eyes snapped back to hers. _No, it definitely wasn't the light from the fireplace. Damn._ His voice was calm, belying the very unsettled feeling that was descending on him at the moment, "I'm right here, Rinna." He could see the Weasley living room behind her, and he noticed Harry there, looking very upset and guilty.

"Were you aware that Harry wrote a letter to Sirius?" she demanded.

Remus watched as Harry winced and began slinking his way toward the living room door with Ron and Hermione in tow. "Not until yesterday afternoon when Harry and Sirius told me," he answered, still calmly.

"And that Sirius wrote him back?"

"Uh, no… I wasn't aware of that," he replied, wondering where this was going. He turned to look at Sirius, who was out of the line of sight of the fireplace, and mouthed, "What the bloody hell did you write to rile her up like that?"

Sirius merely shrugged. He was enjoying the scene so far; he remembered the few times Rinna had been in a snit like this one. Most of them had been directed at him. Those had always ended very satisfactorily with some kind of snogging, heavy groping or make-up sex. He felt a small flame of hope kindle in his chest.

"He wrote, oh by all the bloody moons of Jupiter, I can't believe what he wrote, Remus," she shrilled. "He bloody wrote 'I had my doubts about where her loyalties lie.' He questioned my effing loyalty, Remus!" She was in full-blown tirade mode now, and there was no stopping her. Remus just winced and braced for the blast from the storm. "What the hell does he mean by questioning my loyalty? Since when did Sirius ever question my loyalty?" she cried.

Now Remus noted that Molly was rounding the kids up, most likely to get them away from all the swearing. "Well," Remus said very carefully, "when you broke your engagement with him..." He looked very uncomfortable.

Rinna looked at him with deceptive calm. When she spoke again, her voice was soft and dangerous. "I thought you said Sirius thought you and I were having an affair…" She ignored the surprised gasps behind her. In fact, for all she was aware, the Burrow no longer existed.

Remus glanced at Sirius, who had an amused expression. This made Remus very disgruntled. "Well, that was one of the theories he had come up with, yes…" he said defensively.

Rinna glared at him. "You failed to mention that he'd come up with a nice 'turning to the dark side' hypothesis as well," she said icily.

Sirius chuckled. "I thought you said she had changed, Moony."

Remus turned and glared at him. "Shut it, you! You are not helping!"

"What did you say?" came Rinna's sharp voice.

"Uh, look Rinna…" he began.

"How could he have thought that? That me, ME of all people, would join Voldemort? Was he barmy?" she said furiously.

"She's a right spitfire, just like old times," Sirius commented. "Tell me, Moony, does she look as sexy as she used to, all fired up like that?"

Remus cocked his head around and fixed Sirius with a withering scowl. "I told you to SHUT IT!"

"I beg your pardon?" Rinna said indignantly, completely offended.

"No, no, not you," he said, turning back to the fireplace.

"What?" she shrieked. "Is HE there?" The look on Remus' face must have given him away, because she began to climb through the fireplace. "That's it. I'm coming over there!" Without so much as a by your leave to the Weasleys or Harry, she flooed into Tonks' flat.

"What? No! Rinna, wait!" Remus began frantically, but it was too late. She was there, brushing soot off her shoulders and searching the room for one Sirius Black.

Her thunderstorm eyes locked onto his as he stood to face her. "How **could** you?" she challenged. "How could you ever think I would go to that bastard's side?" She advanced on him, her fury blistering the air.

Remus was quite convinced that she had crossed over the demarcation of rationality, and he got his wand ready to disarm the situation. He was surprised when she stopped in front of Sirius, instead of doing him bodily harm, and stood with her hands on her hips, sparks of anger almost visibly snapping off of her.

"Well?" she inquired wrathfully.

Sirius crossed his arms over his chest and studied her impassively. There was no trace of mischief on his face now. "Well…" he drawled sardonically, "may I point out that **you** thought I was a mass murderer, and that **I** had gone over to his side?"

"Oh." The air rushed out of her lungs as the anger flowed out of her body and she visibly wilted. Sirius' hand reached out to catch her elbow as she swayed, and he solicitously walked her to the nearest armchair. "Oh," she said again in a quiet, shamed voice as she sat down. She leaned back and closed her eyes, a pained look on her face.

Remus sprang into action, bringing a bottle and a glass from the cabinet over to Rinna. "Here." He poured it and handed her the glass. She eyed it warily. "It's your favorite Muggle stuff," he added, showing her the bottle.

She noted the familiar black label, then glared up at him. "I beg your pardon, but aren't you the one who seems to think I have a drinking problem?" she asked sarcastically.

Remus gave her a measuring look. "In this case, I'm here to monitor your intake."

"Right. And we both know how that turned out the last time, don't we?" she pointed out scathingly.

"Don't…" he began, nervously flicking his gaze to Sirius, who had sat down and was watching the exchange with much interest.

"I won't. I'm not a complete idiot, I'll have you know," she interrupted acerbically. She snorted. "Although, I will admit you could argue the credibility of my last statement based on my behavior today." She contemplated the glass in her hand, swirling the liquid a few times, and considered handing it back to Remus. "Ah, bugger it!" She knocked it back.

Remus looked at her coolly. "I'm willing to settle for 'half-wit' and call it even," he deadpanned.

Rinna's mouth hung open in indignant shock for a few seconds before she huffed out a laugh. She hurled a small decorative pillow she seized from the armchair, smirking and cackling in triumph as it connected soundly with Remus' midsection.

Sirius felt a pang of jealousy at being excluded from the easy, albeit tense at the moment, camaraderie between the two of them. He was impressed with the skill Remus used to disarm the clearly hacked off Rinna. _He's probably had lots of practice,_ he surmised. His eyes wandered back to Rinna as Remus sat on the couch, making a deliberate show of using the pillow Rinna had thrown as a headrest. Sirius was startled to find green eyes studying him carefully.

"You look like you could use a drink, too," she observed.

"Well," he stated mildly, "it's been a while."

She reached toward Remus, flexing her fingers to indicate he should hand over the bottle. She poured more into the glass she held and got up to walk it over to Sirius.

Rinna handed him the glass and turned, but Sirius quickly took her hand in his. She turned back to him in surprise. He caught her gaze with his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. Somehow she knew he was talking about his outburst in the Weasley garden yesterday. He saw a change flicker in her emerald eyes as they softened.

She took in his bedraggled appearance, his hollow cheeks and the dark circles under his eyes that one mere night of sleep could not yet erase. Even though he'd cleaned himself up, he still looked like he had been through hell. _And he has._ "I'm sorry, too," was her soft reply. Somehow he knew she was talking about more than her tantrum earlier. He nodded.

She pulled her hand from his and returned to her chair to watch him sip the whiskey. He grimaced and gave a little shudder. "What is this stuff?"

"American whiskey. Muggle liquor." She chuckled ruefully. "I've picked up a few bad habits over the years." Remus snorted and she turned to glare at him. "As I'm sure Remus can tell you."

Remus snorted again. "Really, Rinna, thirteen years' worth of bad habits…It could take days to cover…"

She searched for another pillow, but at the sound of Sirius' chuckle, she whipped her head around to include him in her glare. He tipped the glass of whiskey at her in a cheeky salute and tossed it back.

When he put the glass down, he found Rinna looking at him gravely. "Why did you come back, Sirius?"

"You don't know?" he said gently. Her eyes dropped to the floor. "I came back because of you."

* * *

**A/N: I really, really, _really_ love to hear from my readers…hint, hint. Please, won't you take a minute or two and leave me a review? **

**A little note about Chinese names: according to my research, the Chinese use their family name first, then their given name. If a Western name is given to a child, or an adult adopts a Western name, he or she will follow the Western convention of listing that name first. Hence, Rinna's stepfather's name at the beginning of the chapter follows this sequence: Western name, family name, given name. Rinna's mother's name follows the sequence we are most familiar with. Also, the diminutive or familiar form of the Chinese given name has "Ah" in front of it. I just found that interesting, and I hope you did, too. (Now if I have really gotten this all wrong, will someone please let me know?)**

13


	12. Second Chances

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 12: Second Chances **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe. Any characters, places, situations or whatnot that you don't find in her fabulous books, well they are mine. I WISH I owned Sirius and Remus, 'cause then I would take them and…uh, (glances at all the readers looking at me in deep concern), hmmm…scratch that. **

Harry sat out on the back porch, morosely staring at nothing in particular. He heard the back door open, then close. Footsteps moved toward him, squeaking the floorboards as they came. He had to smile, in spite of his mood, as he realized who had joined him. "How is Ron doing?" he asked Hermione.

Hermione sat down in the wicker love seat next to him and sighed. After the upsetting encounter with Rinna, Ron and Hermione had dragged a very despondent Harry to the kitchen to talk. Ron had spied a bowl of sweets on the table, and had tried to convince Harry that a few candies would help him feel better. Harry, who at that point felt almost nauseous, had declined. That, of course, did not stop Ron from partaking in the tempting treats. Hermione was trying to be kind and remember that Ron had been just as upset for Harry's sake, but really, how could he have forgotten the unwritten rule of the Weasley household: _never_ eat anything that might have been left out by Fred and George?

The latest Weasley Twin invention, the Ton-Tongue Toffee, had been a brilliant success. "Well, I think Mrs. Weasley has finally hit on a shrinking charm that will work. His tongue is only hanging down to his belly button now."

"Poor Ron," Harry said, trying not to smile at the image her words brought to his mind. "What was he thinking, eating those sweets?"

"Well, to be fair, he was very concerned that you were so upset. That must have distracted him." Hermione watched as Harry heaved a big sigh. Knowing him, he was now thinking that this, too, was all his fault. She ransacked her mind quickly for something to divert him. "You should have heard Mrs. Weasley muttering all kinds of threats about what would happen to Fred and George when they got home. I'm sure she was doing it to make Ron feel better so he'd calm down."

"Well, it looks like I'll be part of another conspiracy to get back at the twins," Harry said ruefully. "Thanks for checking up on him for me."

Hermione looked at him knowingly. "You mean, thanks for giving you time to mope out here on your own." When Harry opened his mouth to deny it, she interrupted, "Come on, Harry. You are no more to blame for this happening than you are for Rinna's blow-out about Sirius." At the look on his face she continued, "I know, I know… you wrote that letter. I'm sick of hearing about that miserable letter!"

Harry looked at her sourly. "What are you doing out here, Hermione?" he asked pointedly.

"I'm trying to help you feel better!"

"Well, you're doing a bang-up job of it so far!" he retorted sarcastically. "You just don't understand."

Hermione took a deep breath and huffed her bangs off her forehead. She hadn't come out here to have a row with Harry. She leaned back and said, "All right. Help me understand."

Harry was taken off guard. "What?"

"Help me understand. You know, talk to me. Tell me what you are feeling."

"T-tell you my feelings?" Harry looked completely alarmed, as if Hermione had asked him to tickle a scorpion or something.

"Yes," she said, barely hanging on to her patience, "that's what people _do_ when they communicate with each other."

_When did Hermione get to be all touchy-feely, all "let's talk this out," all so, so, so…girly?_ Harry glanced at Hermione, sitting next to him, her face full of concern and her gorgeous brown eyes so troubled at his distress. Actually, to be truthful, over the last week he'd begun to appreciate the more girly aspects of Hermione. She'd grown a little taller, and she'd gotten a bit curvy, and soft looking, and her lips always seemed an inviting shade of pink. And her eyes, warm like melted chocolate and wouldn't it be nice to fall into warm, melty, chocolaty sweetness…

"Harry!"

Hermione's voice snapped him out of his reverie, and he hoped desperately that he'd not said any of that out loud. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Fine, if your eyes are going to glaze over like that every time I ask you to talk to me…" she began irritably.

"No, no," he said, mind racing, "I, uh, was just trying to think of what to tell you first."

"Really?" she asked skeptically.

Harry sighed. He was no good at this. "Actually, no. I was just thinking about how pretty your eyes were." Harry heard Hermione's surprised intake of breath and froze. _Damn! I said that out loud, didn't I?_

Said eyes were gaping at him now, a bit wide and wild. "You were what?" she asked weakly.

Well, he'd put his foot into it; he might as well throw himself in completely. "You have pretty eyes. And I like it when you look at me all concerned like that."

"Harry," her voice was faint, "how did we get from talking about your feelings to talking about my eyes?"

"I dunno, but it sure is helping me feel better." He grinned at her, not knowing how it seemed to make her heart stop for a moment. "Isn't that what you wanted to accomplish?"

"Yes. I mean, no. Uh, I don't know," she said confusedly, desperately trying to gather her scattered wits.

Harry's grin grew wider. The sight of a completely flustered Hermione was a rare one. He pressed the advantage and boldly took her hand, lacing his fingers between hers and placing them on his thigh. "Well, it's working," he said with satisfaction.

As startled as Hermione was, she found she liked the feeling of his warm hand in hers, and she made no move to change the situation. And so they sat, fingers intertwined, shoulders touching, hearts beating madly, the muffled sound of Mrs. Weasley shouting various shrinking charms drifting down from the upper level windows…

Eventually, Harry spoke. "I am feeling badly that Rinna read all those rather uncomplimentary things Sirius wrote. And that they had another row because of it. At least I'm assuming they had a row. She flooed through because he was there, and she was mad as a hornet…" Hermione squeezed his hand to encourage him to continue. "And I'm rather worried for Sirius because of it."

Harry didn't see Hermione roll her eyes. "_She_ should learn to control her temper better," she opined.

Harry shot her a look. He was beginning to think that Hermione didn't like his godmother very much. She noticed his glance and the baffled expression. "Besides," she continued sweetly, "Professor Lupin was there. He'd have made sure she didn't hex Sirius too badly."

Harry's glance turned to a look of exasperation. "Thanks. I thought you were trying to make me feel better."

Hermione gave a mental sigh. Trying to follow Harry's moods was like riding a roller coaster in the dark; you never knew which way they would turn. Attempting to salvage the romantic moment they'd just had, she shifted in the seat and turned her body to face him more. "Maybe you should look into my eyes again," she suggested. Harry thought the proposition a brilliant one.

* * *

Sirius Black stared moodily into the fire, a scowl on his face. He was unhappily reviewing the events of the afternoon. Things had not gone according to plan. He snorted. _Not that you had a plan to begin with, you idiot. You had no idea you would see her again so soon…_

He'd been convinced, when Rinna had emerged from the fireplace, eyes flashing and hands on her hips in fury, that Remus had been wrong. _This_ was the girl he remembered; she hadn't changed at all.

Of course, a phrase like "I came back because of you" should have melted the girl he remembered into a puddle of goo. She had loved romantic talk like that.

Sirius' scowl deepened as he remembered what this new Rinna's reaction had been…

--------

Rinna shot up out of the chair and began pacing restlessly around the room.

"No, Sirius. Do not say that to me," she said with quiet intensity. "You shouldn't have come back here. You are the most wanted wizard in England; if they catch you, they will have the Dementors perform the kiss." She shuddered. "If that happened, and the reason you were here was because of me… it would break me. I would not be able to bear it…" the last part came out a whisper as her face sunk into her hands.

When she composed herself, she looked up into Sirius' stunned face. "No," she whispered. "No," this time louder. "I will NOT accept responsibility for your foolish decision. You are not going to lay that on me."

Sirius looked at her incredulously. "Rinna, what did you think I would do once I learned you were here: stay away?"

She returned to her agitated pacing. "Yes! I expected you to want to stay as far away from me as possible. I expected that you would never want to see me again. I expected you to hate me for what I did!"

"I did hate you," he said quietly, bringing her to an abrupt halt. "At least, part of me did. The rest of me spent the last thirteen years thinking about you, about what could have been. I can't just let go of that."

She looked at him sadly. "Sirius, I have spent the last thirteen years trying to get over you. I've tried to stop thinking about you." She ran her hands through her hair, tugging at it fretfully. "You can't just ask me to suddenly change the way I think."

"Why not?" he countered. "You changed the way you thought about me once before, back at school. You took a chance on us then."

Her feet began moving again, not so much pacing as just little aimless movements as she wrung her hands nervously. "You don't know what you are asking of me." Her words were anxious and laced with trepidation.

She looked for all the world like a rabbit trying to determine if it should freeze, or bolt.

"Tell me," he pleaded, standing up and reaching for her. But he dropped his arm when she brought her wringing hands up to cross at her breastbone, just under her chin, as if warding her heart.

"You are asking me to feel things again," she spoke apprehensively, "To feel things for you. I can't. It will hurt too much."

She turned away, and strode toward the fireplace. It occurred to Sirius that she was once again running away, and he moved to intercept her, taking her arm and spinning her around to face him. "Rinna, please…"

Her eyes were desolate. "Sirius, let me go. I can't do this. Not right now. If you open the floodgates, I will be swept away and drowned." He heard her voice quail. "Please, Sirius. If you even care for me a little, you will let me go."

He immediately released her arm, but his eyes did not release her gaze. He probed deeply into her eyes, so familiar and green, and so haunted. She was…hurting, frightened…damaged.

She stared at him for a moment, startled and discomfited, before she gave a choking sob, and turned for the fireplace; in a flash of green flame, she was gone.

--------

Sirius was forced to acknowledge that it was naïve to think that so much time could go by and not have changed her. Hell, he had certainly changed. He had never been so introspective; back then if he had spent even two minutes in contemplation he would have considered himself on the level of Socrates. But now, after an eternity in Azkaban where he had nothing to do but think…

Suddenly he was struck by something he'd noticed in the recent encounter with Rinna, one thing that had not changed: the repartee between Rinna and Remus. Sirius felt comfort in finding something familiar, and yet, simultaneously, he felt a vague disquiet as he recalled their interaction. Their banter had been typical of their exchanges back at school: witty, sharp, jibing, clever, acerbic… _and flirtatious,_ his mind whispered harshly.

Sirius closed his eyes and perceived the flickering of the flames through his eyelids. He struggled to think rationally, suppressing the ugly monster of jealously that was trying to rear its menacing head. Remus had told him there was no other man in Rinna's life now. Surely if there had been something going on between them, Remus wouldn't have played it off as nothing…

Sirius head snapped up as he heard Remus' voice from the couch. Neither of them had changed positions since Rinna had left.

"How are you holding up, Padfoot?" Remus sounded full of concern.

"You were right, Moony. She has changed." He turned around and stalked back to the chair. "You must know her pretty well," he added pointedly, an edge to his voice.

Remus' heart began to pound as he felt the anxiety of guilt press down on him. _He suspects something!_ But the rational part of his mind admonished, _What are you feeling guilty for? Your relationship with Rinna has simply been a deep friendship, and a small number of snogging sessions the last few weeks…_ His pulse slowed a bit with this realization, until a traitorous thought slipped in: _and an unrequited infatuation for the last twenty-some-odd years…_ He tamped that last thought down viciously. There was no point in encouraging that line of thinking anymore, even if he knew that squelching such quisling feelings would never negate the fascination he felt for Rinna.

"Of course I know her well, Sirius. All we had left was each other. Her love and friendship has meant more to me than anything; she was my link to the past and she gave me a reason to look forward. I probably know her better than anyone else, except maybe Tonks, although I think I know her better because of all our years of friendship." Remus put a slight emphasis on the last word.

Sirius frowned. Just because he recognized the truth to what Remus said, didn't mean he had to like it. In the past, no matter how much Remus and Rinna had carried on, Sirius had known that she would eventually turn to **him** and flirt with him outrageously, or kiss him, or, even better after they'd left school, go home with him to the tiny bedroom in the flat he had shared with James. Perhaps that was why the way she had interacted with Remus had never incited him to jealousy before.

Remus continued, "I still catch glimpses of the girl we used to know; it's not that she has changed completely. But I think our Rinna has become overburdened with guilt. She blamed herself for your apparent defection to the Dark Lord, and a mere couple of months of knowing the truth can't yet negate what she's told herself for so many years. And, of course, now she feels guilty for ever thinking you could have done what you are accused of."

Something clicked into place in Sirius' brain. "She doesn't expect that I would forgive her…" _for breaking our engagement, for shattering my heart, for doubting my loyalty._ If he was honest with himself, part of him did not want to forgive her. His anger with her, even hatred, had been such a part of him and a key to his survival… and yet, deep in his heart, he knew he wanted a second chance with her, and he wanted to forgive and forget the pain and regrets.

"No, she doesn't," Remus confirmed.

Sirius felt almost panicked, and he sprung from the chair in agitation. "I need to show her she's wrong. I need to…" He turned to Remus, desperation on his face. "I need her…"

Remus sat in silent contemplation for a few moments. _Her heart was never yours,_ he reminded himself. He got up and walked over to Sirius, clapping his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "She still loves you, Padfoot. I know it. You heard what she said: she _tried _to stop thinking about you, but she couldn't. In all these years, she has not gotten over you."

There was a flicker of hope in Sirius' troubled eyes. "Why are you telling me this, Remus?"

Remus sighed, and Sirius was surprised to see a pained expression cross his face. "Sirius, literally overnight, I lost everyone I loved. Rinna was the only one I got back… until now. I love you. I love her. I want to see you both happy." It _was_ the truth, and Remus was almost able to convince himself that he didn't feel the little spasm of pain grip his heart when he said it.

Sirius was moved by what his oldest friend had said. Remus had always known how to soothe even his most tumultuous moods… especially back at school, when the fledgling relationship between him and Rinna had caused him much anxiety and insecurity. He gripped Remus' forearm and asked earnestly, "You don't think it's too late? That we have both changed too much for it to work?"

_It's funny,_ thought Remus, _that despite all we have been through, the dynamic between the three of us has stayed the same._ "Some things will never change, Sirius, no matter how much time has passed."

* * *

Sitting alone in the darkened living room of her flat that had been recently vacated by a werewolf and an outlaw, Nymphadora Tonks was feeling a bit…meddlesome. It wasn't often that she felt the need to interfere in her friends' lives, but when her two dear friends _and_ her favorite cousin were involved, well…that was a different matter entirely.

Remus and Sirius had related what had happened that afternoon a short while before Tonks had arrived home from work with dinner in hand. Yesterday, Tonks had felt sympathy for Rinna; after all, the poor thing had been taken by surprise at Sirius' arrival at the Weasleys, but today…today, Tonks was feeling a bit frustrated with her former flatmate. Quite a bit frustrated, in fact, and more than a bit concerned.

Apparently, Rinna had provoked a confrontation with Sirius, had heard the man declare that she was the reason he had returned to England (thus answering the forgiveness question in Tonks' opinion), and then ran like hell. This was not like her at all. And Tonks had a feeling she knew why. So, she was going to meddle. _Why is it that matters of the heart are so messy?_

A bubble-gum-pink haired head poked into Rinna's fireplace. It was getting late, but she knew Rinna wouldn't have left for work yet. "Dunnie? You there?"

Rinna stepped into the living room. "Oh Merlin. Your cousin has sent you here to torment me for being such a jackass, hasn't he?"

Tonks climbed into the room, pointedly ignoring Rinna's outburst. "You know, it's very convenient, having you connected to the floo network now. Why didn't you do this sooner?" She flicked some soot off her jeans. "And my cousin is no longer at my flat."

"What? He's gone?"

Tonks walked into the kitchen, Rinna at her heels, and reached for the teakettle. She continued conversationally, "Sirius and Remus told me of your rather abrupt visit to my flat today. I'm sure I got the abridged version, but I heard enough to gather what had happened…" Rinna groaned and put her face in her hands. "And yes, you were a bit of a jackass. I've never known you to lose your cool like that!"

"I haven't been myself lately," Rinna said weakly.

Tonks looked at her with a mixture of pity and exasperation. "That's because you are not being honest with yourself." She pulled some teabags from the cupboard, accidentally knocking down a tin of crackers. "And you've been keeping things from me, haven't you?"

Rinna was struck by how much Tonks reminded her of Molly Weasley at the moment. "Keeping things?" she asked lamely as she tucked the crackers she had deftly caught back up on the cupboard shelf.

Tonks set the teapot on the table. "I came home with Chinese take away, which the two of them wolfed down." She looked slyly at Rinna who had sat at the table and was looking rather on edge. "Or should I say they ate _doggedly_?"

Rinna was startled. "What?"

"Sirius used his dog form to enter and leave my flat. Why didn't you tell me he was an Animagus?"

"It's not supposed to be common knowledge, Dorrie. That's why I kept it from y…"

"Actually," Tonks interrupted, "I was referring to your relationship with Remus." She poured the hot water carefully while Rinna paled and gaped at her.

"How… how did you…how did…"

"How did I know about that? Honestly, doesn't anyone remember that I am a fully trained Auror, skilled in piecing together evidence?" Tonks exclaimed huffily. "I've observed the two of you over the years, how you behave around each other, and…I skillfully extracted a confession from your Professor last night," she ended with satisfaction. A flush of anger began to creep up Rinna's neck, but Tonks was undeterred. "Is that what is keeping you running away from Sirius? This fling you are having with Remus?"

"It is NOT a fling!" Rinna said hotly. "We just kissed a few times. And it could probably be something more, but Sirius came crashing back into the picture and now I don't know what to feel…"

"Bollocks!" Tonks fired back sharply. "You know how you feel; you just refuse to be honest with yourself, because if you admit that you are still in love with Sirius, it means you will have to start processing through stuff that you have put off dealing with all these years!"

Rinna looked at her friend with wide eyes, completely staggered.

"Come ON, Rinna! This is the love of your life we are talking about! The man you were going to marry! The man you were willing to give up everything for in order to save him… The man who came back here to see you again, despite how dangerous it is for him. The man who wants a second chance with you…"

"How do you know that's what he wants?" Rinna whispered.

Tonks threw up her hands in exasperation. "Hello! Auror here, remember? I have taken what Sirius has said to me and Remus, what he's said to you the past two days, combined it with what you've told me about your past, and voila! Deductive reasoning! You should try it sometime."

Even though she had spent several hours in heated debate between her heart and her brain over these very same things, it was hearing Tonks say everything out loud that finally brought her heart and mind into agreement. Rinna closed her eyes, a single tear making its track down her cheek. "You're right, Dorrie. I've never stopped loving him." She felt Tonks grab her hand and squeeze it, and looked at her friend. "But what about Remus? I care about him, too. I don't want to hurt him…"

"Oh, Dunnie. Remus will be fine. He already knows you still love Sirius, you know." At Rinna's surprised look, she added, "He told me." She paused. "I think you two have always had a little crush on each other, haven't you? All through school, and even now?"

Rinna groaned and leaned forward to smack her forehead on the table. "Can't I have both of them?" she asked in a small voice.

Tonks let out a snort of laughter. "Well, that would make you a greedy little bint, now wouldn't it? Or are you into some weird kinky stuff I don't know about?"

Rinna lifted her head slightly and looked up at Tonks. "Please. I'm messed up enough as it is, don't you think?"

"What I think is, you need to figure out what you want. That way, the next time you see Sirius Black, you are prepared." Tonks poured some tea and pushed the cup toward Rinna, accidentally with a little too much force.

Rinna nimbly caught the cup just as it slid off the edge of the table, and, without missing a beat, she poured the contents that had sloshed out into the saucer back into the cup and sipped it.

"Nice save," Tonks noted.

"Thanks. I've had a bit of practice," Rinna replied with a smirk. Tonks made a face at her. Rinna held her cup up in a salute to her friend before sipping again. "But Dorrie, didn't you say Sirius left? Where did he go?"

Tonks shrugged. "I don't know. He told me that you mentioned his name as you flooed the flat," she paused as Rinna brought her palm to her forehead, "and he didn't want to put me in a compromising position. Personally, I think he's overreacting a bit, but I suppose being a little paranoid is what's kept him from being caught so far."

Rinna nodded. "Is Remus still at your flat, then?" She was surprised at the twinge of jealousy she felt licking at her heart.

"Oh please! Remus Lupin is too much of a gentleman to ruin the reputation of an unmarried woman by spending the night at her flat." But Tonks couldn't resist the dig. "Unless, of course, he is completely squiffy. Then he'd be willing to spend the night in her bed…" She gave Rinna a sly look.

"Stupid, nosy Aurors: never happy till you have every sordid detail. I hate you, did you know?" Rinna glared at her.

"No you don't, Dunnie," Tonks countered cheerfully as she stood up to take the teakettle back to the stove. "You love me, and you don't know what you'd do with out me."

Rinna stood up as well. "Too bloody right." The two women embraced. "Merlin, Dorrie, I'm glad I have such a pain-in-the-arse friend like you to keep me grounded."

Tonks gave her one last squeeze and pulled away. "Are you going to be all right now?"

Rinna cocked her head in thought. "I'm not sure. But I haven't ended up in the madhouse yet, so that's a good sign, don't you think?"

Tonks snorted, and glanced at the clock. "And if we want to keep you out of the poorhouse, you should scamper off to work, I think."

"Damn!" Rinna gave her a quick continental kiss. "I've got to fly, Dorrie. Thanks for the tea, and for the figurative smacking upside the head."

"That's what I'm here for, luv." Tonks turned and made her way to the living room.

Rinna's head jerked up at the sound of something breaking into tiny pieces. "I can fix that!" she heard Tonks call from the living room. Rinna looked down and shook her head with a sigh as she heard a mumbled "_reparo_" followed by the whoosh of the fireplace.

* * *

The sound of rapping at the window assaulted Rinna's ears, and with a moan, she dragged herself from the depths of sleep and opened one eye. The clock told her it was 11:00 am. The curtains were closed, but the sound was unmistakable; someone had sent her an owl. Too tired to even grumble, she stumbled to release the window latch. The owl flew in and settled on the dresser, offering its letter to her. She mumbled to the owl to wait for her reply.

_My dear Arinna,_

_I was very pleased to receive your letter and your curriculum vitae. While I remember your excellence at mixing drinks (and that still was the best martini I have had by far), I would agree that your myriad of talents could be put to better use in other venues. I believe I have a proposal that you will find most interesting. I would like to meet with you five days hence, at your home, if that is convenient? _

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_PS: You wouldn't happen to have any more of that Irish beer, now would you?_

Rinna was wide awake now. A proposal? Her heart raced in anticipation. What could he have in mind? She quickly dashed off a reply and sent the owl on its way. Then she reread the letter, and sighed. She would have to procure some more Guinness.

She sat in the armchair and explored all the possibilities of what Dumbledore could have in mind, turning his words over and over in her head. At some point she must have drifted off back to sleep, because she found herself waking to another rapping at her window.

Annoyed by the crick in her neck, she opened the window yet again and was perplexed to see a different owl. It flew in and also landed on her dresser. She was startled to see that it had a rose in its mouth, and she took the rose with trembling fingers. It was a "fire and ice" rose, its soft petals white on the outside and deep crimson on the inside. She automatically brought it to her nose as she became lost in a memory...

--------

The four Marauders sat down at the library table where Rinna was working on her Ancient Runes assignment. She was expecting a group of third years she'd been tutoring, so she was surprised to see them when she looked up. "Need some help with your schoolwork, gentlemen?" she grinned saucily at them.

James smiled easily at her, running his fingers through his hair and pouring on the charm. "No, Dunlevy, blokes as brilliant as us don't need to trifle with schoolwork." Rinna snorted, and rolled her eyes at them.

Sirius leaned forward conspiratorially, and spoke in a low voice, "We just want to thank you for getting us out of that tight spot the other night…"

"You lads were cutting it awfully close, don't you think?" she frowned at them, eyeing Remus. "What if you hadn't made it to the Shack in time?"

"Well the point is: we did. Thanks to you." Sirius replied.

"And we were wondering," added James, with a sly look at Sirius, "hypothetically, of course, if someone wanted to get you something nice, say flowers or candy, you know, as a 'thank you' gift, well… what should he get you?"

Rinna leaned back in her chair, shifting her gaze from one to the other. They all managed to radiate a look of innocence. Her eyes narrowed. "Why would I reveal that kind of information to you four, of all people?"

"It is strictly for research purposes," Sirius assured her, and at her skeptical expression, he added ingenuously, "You don't think we'd try to use this knowledge against you, do you, Dunlevy?"

Rinna gave another rather unladylike snort. "I can't imagine why I would ever think that, Black!" she retorted sarcastically, but grinned at him cheekily to take the sting out of her jibe. "Besides, you don't need to give me a gift for helping you out, you know. I did it because it was the decent thing to do." She smiled at Remus.

James smacked his hand lightly on the table. "Pay attention, Dunlevy! I said it was a _hypothetical_ situation."

"Come on, Rinna, you know we will wheedle the information from you eventually; you might as well give it up now," cajoled Remus. "Or… we could wait here, and obstruct the flow of higher learning…" He cocked his head toward the three third year Ravenclaws who had arrived for their tutoring session.

She arched an eyebrow at Remus. "You are all insufferable gits. I just want that stated for the record."

"Duly noted," quipped James, his eyes sparkling playfully. "Now, are you going to comply with our simple request?"

She rolled her eyes again. "Since when has anything to do with you Marauders ever been simple?" She paused to sigh in a long-suffering manner. "All right then. Hypothetically, my favorite candy is dark chocolate, and my favorite flower is the 'fire and ice' rose." At their puzzled expressions she added, "You know, the ones that are white on the outside but red on the inside."

The boys stood up, having accomplished their mission, and all flashed Rinna what she had labeled "the trademark Marauder smile" before turning to leave. "Wait!" Rinna called before they'd gone far. Four pairs of eyes regarded her with surprise.

Rinna eyed James, a small smirk on her face. "Here's some more information for your so-called 'research.' My friend Lily likes pink roses and milk chocolate with almonds." James face split into a huge grin as he beamed at her like she had just fluttered down from heaven.

As Rinna's eyes followed them out of the library, Sirius tossed a glance back at her. She raised her eyebrows inquiringly. He winked and his lips quirked his best Lothario smile at her before he sauntered off after his mates. If she was blushing furiously, the third year students waiting patiently for her attention made no comment of it.

--------

Rinna tapped the rose against her lips and smiled as she recalled that the morning after the next Hogsmeade weekend, she had received by owl post two things: one had been a half-kilogram tin of Honeydukes Finest Dark Chocolates with a small card that read "Hypothetically from your Marauders-- thanks for saving our arses" and the other had been a single "fire and ice" rose, carried in the owl's beak. No note had accompanied it, but a certain blue-eyed Marauder had watched very intently as she had brought it to her nose…

Rinna continued to smile as a funny feeling that had nothing to do with the need for breakfast tickled at her stomach. She inhaled the scent of the rose again, and a trickle of hope began to wash over her. _Maybe you should rethink your belief that second chances are a myth, Rinna girl…_her heart whispered.

* * *

**Author Note: Whew! First of all, I just want to thank all of you who have reviewed my story so far. I just LOVE to hear from you! And I especially appreciate my loyal reviewers (including my fellow Three Keys Fan Fiction Group members) who come back again and again to give me feedback. A big sloppy kiss for all of you: MWAP! **

**That said, I now issue yet another review challenge. I am currently up to 88 reviews! (Yippee! I am tickled pink.) I'm wondering if you all would like to see if you can bump it to 100! Yep, one zero zero. One hundred. I know you can do it! And wow, I would be in, like, fan fiction author heaven! So, help a poor girl out and leave a review for chapter 12, or any chapter for that matter, won't you? Thanks!**

13


	13. Opportunities

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 13: Opportunities**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe. Which is really too bad, as I just love to frolic in that world and play with her wonderful characters! Speaking of which, any characters, places, situations or whatnot that you don't find in her fabulous books, well they are mine. And I don't own Guinness. Don't even really like the nasty stuff…but some of my friends do, so it's been included for them.**

**Author note: One of these days I will need to include some Dr. Pepper or some Three Buck Chuck in honor of my fabulous beta, Lorett… (sits and contemplates how to work those into the story) but in the meantime, I'll just say that she is the best ever! I love you, dear! MWAP!

* * *

A small glow in the living room caught Molly Weasley's eye as she was turning off all the lights. Harry was there, curled up on the couch, brooding over the picture album again. Molly sighed; she'd thought she was the last one to bed. "All right, Harry? Couldn't you sleep?" She went to sit next to him.**

Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry for disturbing you."

"Oh, you're hardly doing that!" Molly smiled. "Now, setting off confetti bombs in the hallway, or filching cookies from the kitchen, or playing that game you and Hermione taught everyone today with the brooms here in the living room in your stocking feet…"

"Broom Hockey," Harry supplied helpfully, an apologetic look on his face.

"Ah, yes, 'Broom Hockey.' Playing Broom Hockey and breaking the picture glass in the portrait of Otto Percival Weasley… now those are things that disturb me. Not quietly laying about and moping," Molly informed him.

"I'm not…" Harry began in protest, but suddenly didn't have the heart to continue.

Molly looked at him kindly. "Do you want to talk about it, luv?"

For years, Harry had dreamed of having a motherly person in his life who would say things to him just like that, in just that same tone of voice, who, just as he sensed Mrs. Weasley was willing to do, would take him in her protective loving arms and comfort him. He would have been embarrassed to admit it to anyone, even this kind woman who was that mother-figure to him. And there was the rub: even though he appreciated the maternal concern and kindness that Mrs. Weasley had unconditionally given him, he found himself inexplicably wishing that it was the red-headed woman in the pictures on his lap that was offering it to him. Which made absolutely no sense whatsoever, since the primary feeling he had toward Rinna lately was one of being rather hacked off at her.

Harry shrugged. "Not really," he said.

Molly heaved a sigh. "All right. But if you change your mind…" She gently ruffled his hair as she stood up from the couch.

"Thanks," he said sincerely, not minding the touch very much at all.

* * *

The next afternoon found Harry sitting, his back against the big tree, with the photo album once again on his lap. That morning, after finding him asleep on the couch with it, Ginny had told him outright that he was getting unnervingly attached to it. Hermione and Ron didn't say it out loud, but he suspected they thought along the same lines as Ginny. But it really was helping him feel closer to his mum and dad, even if more often than not, he found himself drifting into the section of pictures that were almost exclusively of Rinna and Sirius, wishing that things were different.

A movement in the woods beyond the yard caught his eye: a dark shape, darting among the bushes. Harry closed the scrapbook with a snap, his heart thudding suddenly in his chest, and he moved to the side gate. He stepped into the woods and called softly, "Snuffles?"

He was answered by a low yip, and a shaggy black head came into view from under a bush, tongue lolling in a doggy grin. Harry stepped around the bush and smiled as Snuffles pounced forward onto his front paws in a playful gesture before turning and romping deeper into the woods. When Harry did not follow quickly enough, the large black dog repeated the action with a sharp yap, and spun around again, looking over his shoulder to see if Harry was moving.

"All right," Harry laughed, "I'm coming, but we can't go too far…" The dog stopped when they were out of eyesight, but not earshot, of the house, and sat with his tail thumping happily as he waited for Harry to catch up. Harry approached him, wondering how he could have ever found this huge black pooch menacing or intimidating. He had to suppress the urge to grab up a stick and throw it with a "Fetch, boy!"

The next instant, Snuffles had changed into Sirius and Harry found himself in an embrace, being thumped heartily on his back. Harry stepped back and grinned. "Sirius, you look a lot better!" he noted.

"Well, I've had a few meals and some decent rest. It makes a big difference." The two of them found an old log to sit on.

Harry looked him up and down. "Are you okay?"

"Absolutely," Sirius answered with a puzzled look. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, well, it's just that…" Harry paused, a little embarrassed, "the other day, Rinna sounded like she was ready to hex you into oblivion…"

"Ah, that." Sirius looked thoughtful. "I didn't realize you were there for that." He sighed. "Well, you've certainly had the chance to see the two of us at our best, haven't you?" he asked dryly. Harry shrugged. "No, there was no hexing involved, I'm happy to say."

"What is her problem, anyway?" Harry asked petulantly.

Sirius studied Harry for a moment, weighing what the appropriate answer should be. He came up with, "It's complicated, Harry."

"That's exactly what she said about you," was his disgruntled reply.

Sirius chuckled ruefully. "That pretty much accurately sums us up, I think: complicated."

"Then why were you ever together?" Harry wondered.

Sirius pensively considered Harry's question. "There is no logical explanation I can give you," he said at last. "There were a lot of factors that should have _kept_ us from ever getting together… not the least of which was that when we met, we didn't like each other much at all…" Harry thought about what Rinna had told him about moving up into the next Year's Potions class and pictured what Sirius' reaction to her might have been.

"But," Sirius continued, "in spite of our differences, we slowly discovered we were more alike than we realized." He saw the question in Harry's eyes. "For one thing, we both came from old wizarding families—"

"Purebloods," Harry said flatly.

Sirius gave him an inscrutable look. "Yes, Purebloods, although the Dunlevy name wasn't nearly so well-known as mine. Still, she understood the pressure there is to live up to expectations." He sighed. "We both had abusive fathers." Harry's head jerked up at that. "Actually, her father was a monster." Sirius' mouth had formed a thin, hard line. "Fortunately her mother had left him, and married a decent sort of man… My parents disowned me because I was a disappointment to them. I didn't embrace the values of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black…" Sirius ran his hand through his hair. "I had my friends, and they loved me and supported me, but she was the only one who really understood the pain I was feeling," he said softly as he glanced up at Harry. "That was her gift: empathy mixed with compassion. She seemed to instinctively be able to pick out the students who were hurting, or struggling, and she helped them. It didn't matter what House they were from, or what their bloodlines were. That's what she became known for."

Now that was the kind of person Harry could see his mum having as a friend, not the heart-breaking, high-tempered woman he was angry with. "So why did she change?" he asked.

"Change?" Sirius was startled; Harry really didn't know her, so how could he be that perceptive? "What do you mean, change?"

"Of course she changed, Sirius!" Harry countered with some heat. "She wasn't being compassionate when she broke your heart, was she? Or when she abandoned me to the Dursleys!" His green eyes snapped with hurt and anger.

Sirius stared at his godson with dawning realization. Harry was a lost soul as well, deeply damaged, just like him, just like Rinna… he didn't know his godson well, but he should have recognized… should have understood… He reached out and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry flinched, but then leaned into the touch.

Sirius was filled with sudden clarifying rage; not at Rinna but at the source of all this hurt and pain. Voldemort. The bastard who had taken so much from him, so much from Rinna and so much from Harry… Sirius let his heart fill with hatred, a hatred so intense that it burned away any remaining anger and resentment he felt toward Rinna. And then, he let the purifying fire die out, till there was only an ember flickering as a reminder of what he was fighting for. He took a deep breath and felt, somehow, lighter, and much more optimistic than he had since he first read Harry's note about Rinna.

Sirius took a deep breath and said in a gentle voice, "Don't be too hard on your godmother, Harry. After all, the two of you have many things in common."

"Right," said Harry, a hint of bitterness in his voice, "like what?"

"Well, she loves to fly, you love to fly. You are both mad about Quidditch…"

Harry nodded at this, remembering the night on her broom, and the game at his party. He'd recognized they had shared that, and he had liked the feeling of being a little closer to his godmother that knowledge had brought. What Sirius quietly said next nearly knocked Harry off his seat in surprise.

"Her parents, that is her mother and step-father, were murdered… just like yours…"

Harry felt his heart stop for a moment. "Murdered?" he whispered.

"She understands what it is like to be violently orphaned, Harry. She, out of anybody, can appreciate what you have been through…"

Harry contemplated this for a while, a thousand questions warring inside him, before he finally stored this new information away for further dissection later. He finally looked at Sirius, gazed into his haunted eyes, and asked gravely, "Do you still love her?"

Never letting his gaze waver from Harry's intense green eyes, he answered, "I believe I do."

"How do you know?" Harry's voice held no rancor, only curiosity.

"Well, that's simple—"

"Simple?" Harry demanded, "I thought you said it was complicated!"

Sirius huffed, slightly exasperated, "Well it is! Simple _and_ complicated." He rolled his eyes at Harry's frown of confusion. "I don't know how to explain it! I just know that we were meant to be together, that's all!"

"Okay," said Harry, as if that had made perfect sense.

Sirius stared at him. If it _had_, Sirius wished Harry would explain it to _him_.

At Sirius' answer, Harry had felt a little jolt of hope in his heart, and he immediately thought of his favorite picture of Sirius and Rinna from the album that he'd left by the tree. _Must remember to retrieve that…_ It was the one of the two of them on Sirius' motorcycle; Rinna sat snuggled up against Sirius' back with her arms wrapped around him, looking mischievous as she whispered something into his ear, and Sirius turned back with a wicked grin before jumping off the motorcycle, pulling her to him and kissing her full on the mouth. Hermione and Ginny had sighed at that one. Harry liked it because of the happy smiles on their faces after they had kissed.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Harry asked.

"What?" Taken aback, Sirius studied his godson keenly. Was there a hint of impudence in that smirk of his? How he looked so much like James! "Do about what?"

"Rinna," Harry explained like he was talking to a five-year-old, "we are talking about Rinna. I've already agreed to stop being so hard on her—"

"Actually, you didn't," Sirius pointed out.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Okay, I _now_ agree to stop being so hard on her… So what are _you_ going to do about her?"

Sirius didn't know how Remus had done it, he really didn't; handling the quixotic changes of mood of teenagers. _Merlin,_ Sirius thought, _I would never have been able to be a teacher. _For one thing, he felt himself reverting to his arrogant, pugnacious, teenaged self at the challenge in Harry's tone that sounded uncannily like James. "I'll have you know, that I already have a plan, and it is going quite well, thank you very much."

Suddenly, Sirius was struck by inspiration. There had been a particular rosebush in Molly's garden that Rinna had loved the color of… "I say, Harry. Maybe you could help me out with something…"

Fortunately, later that evening, no one noticed that one of Molly's bushes had been plundered, or that Hedwig was missing…

* * *

Albus Dumbledore climbed the two short steps to the stoop of Rinna's house and glanced down as he rang the bell. What he saw made him smile.

"Headmaster," Rinna greeted him, "Do come in. Please, make yourself..." Her voice dwindled to a stop when she saw that he was holding something in his hand. "What is that?"

"I'm wondering the same," he smiled as he held it out to her. "I found it on your doorstep." She took it and blushed heartily. "Perhaps you have a secret admirer?"

Rinna brought to her nose a rose that was the pinkish-orangey hue of sunset mixed with peachy-yellows. It was an exquisite specimen, and it smelled lovely, and it reminded her of… her eyes snapped open when she heard her guest chuckle. "Sorry," she said, "I'll, uh, I'll just put this in some water and bring in some refreshments. Please, take a seat," she gestured into the living room, and then turned to Dumbledore with a hint of a smirk in her smile and a cheeky look in her eyes. "Would you like some tea, Albus?" she asked sweetly.

"There is no need for impertinence, Arinna. You know perfectly well what kind of repast I am hoping for, young lady!" he called to her as she entered the kitchen. Her laughter trickled out from the kitchen door.

When she emerged a few minutes later, carrying a tray that she set on the coffee table, Dumbledore said, "Well, Arinna, I am glad that our good Professor Lupin suggested you contact me. You have provided me a solution to a small dilemma I have. I wonder if this might be to your liking, for I think it affords an excellent resolution for us both."

Rinna looked at him in interest as she passed him a bottle of his favorite beer. Dumbledore took an appreciative sip before continuing, "As you are aware, I have had a vacancy in the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, and it has recently been filled; I hired Alastor Moody. There are many reasons, not the least of which being that Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year." Rinna made an exclamation of surprise. "But our good Moody is a man with many demands on his time and not as much vigor as he used to have, and had agreed to the job only on the contingency that we hire an assistant DADA professor to help. I believe that you would fit the newly created position of Associate Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor beautifully."

Rinna eyed him with suspicion. "How convenient, Headmaster, that this position opened just as I was determining to change employment and make use of my studies of the Dark Arts…"

Dumbledore's face was guileless. "Yes, rather convenient indeed. You wish to have a job in which your talents would be put to better use and appreciated. I have need for additional help this year."

Rinna sighed. "Let's be honest with each other, Albus. You would much rather have me where you can keep an eye on me. Don't think I don't know the reason you fixed me up with Tonks; to have an Auror-in-training and another of your protégés watching out for me, or watching me." She looked at him without malice. "Not that I blame you, really. I came back here a loose cannon, and I suppose I could be still considered one…"

Dumbledore gave her a measured look. "Since we are being honest, Arinna… Yes, I was very concerned for you when you returned to England and I felt it best to keep you connected to our world in spite of your wishes. I did want to keep an eye on you, as you put it." He reached forward and placed his hand on her forearm. "I hope you understand I have always tried to keep your best interests at heart. I have known you for far too long to not care for you considerably.

"But I must admit," he went on, "that I have taken advantage of your talents and gifts in the past (and don't think I don't know how you resented me persuading you to play spy), and I am hoping to do so again."

Rinna blinked at this. _The old fox is being quite open about his intentions for a change…or is he?_

Dumbledore produced a satchel, and took out a worn periodical, a back issue of _The Journal of_ _Advances in Potions_, opened it, and slid it over to Rinna. He tapped the title of the article: _Theoretical Use of Preservative Potions in Counteracting Dark Curses_ and said, "The article, and the research behind it, was brilliant, my dear."

Rinna looked at him, flabbergasted. "You _do_ know that after the article was published, I was lambasted for using unorthodox methods, and for printing, how was it put? Ah, 'wishful thinking and complete clap-trap!' I was advised to change the topic of my dissertation, and was cut off from any additional funding."

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Time and again, the majority of academicians have been unable to appreciate brilliance presented to them, even when their noses are rubbed in it." He chuckled. "Fortunately, I am not so afflicted with that type of nearsightedness." There was a calculating glint in his eyes. "I confess that I want your considerable talents at my disposal. And I hope to sweeten the proposal by telling you I want to fund your additional research into this fascinating topic."

"You want to fund…" Rinna said weakly.

"Certainly my reasons should be obvious; if you could find an efficacious combination, it would serve our cause well."

Rinna considered this in silence for a moment. "So you don't intend for me to be teaching, then?" she asked, unable to completely hide her disappointment at this.

He smiled at her. "On the contrary! You will be teaching. After all, the Board of Governors will believe that is what I wish to hire you for. I really have no intention of revealing my ulterior motive for having you at Hogwarts to them. And moreover, did I not say that I intended to take advantage of _many_ of your talents?"

Rinna stood up and paced around the living room, deep in thought. Dumbledore leaned back and pulled on the bottle in his hand, watching her sharply. Finally, she turned to him, a picture of seriousness, and said, "Albus, how can you be sure I serve your cause? Or, more accurately, that I will continue to serve your cause?"

Rinna had spent a good deal of time that week mulling over her recent embarrassing behavior and had come to realize that she would not have reacted to Sirius' letter to Harry so strongly had the accusations not held the potential for truth. "After all," she continued, pointing at her curriculum vitae laying on the coffee table, "you have in front of you a recipe for a powerful Dark Arts practitioner." She paused, then said softly, "You know why I came back… I was very nearly consumed by it all. How do you know that won't happen again?"

Dumbledore looked at her artfully. "Because I believe that now you have something that you lacked a few years ago."

"What is that?" she wondered.

"An anchor for your heart," he replied. "Two anchors, really. Or you would have them, if you would stop allowing the circumstances of the past to hinder your joy for today."

"You're talking about…"

"Harry and Sirius, yes." Dumbledore patted the couch next to him, and she sat without thinking. "Love, my dear Arinna. Love is the one thing that will hold back the darkness, be it the darkness in this world, or the darkness in one's soul. I have seen you, over the years, overcome the shadows within you through the love of your friends. It wasn't until you left and isolated yourself from those who love you that you began to feel the draw of the Dark."

_It's true. Oh Merlin, it all makes sense._ She had certainly mucked it up, hadn't she, leaving like she did. Rinna was suddenly irritated that Dumbledore hadn't told her this thirteen years sooner. Ruefully, she realized that he had tried, but she had been hell bent on departing and pursuing her course, and had not heard. She put her head in her hands and let out a little groan.

Dumbledore let out a long sigh. "I'm afraid I must apologize to you, Arinna, for I fear I did you a disservice helping you subdue your memories when you were young." She looked at him in surprise, but before she could say anything, he continued, "Yes, I know they were horrific, and quite honestly, I do not know what else could have been done. It was clear you needed some way to cope, or you would not have been able to concentrate on your studies, and I refused to see a student with such potential not have it realized…But I fear that my example taught you a less than adequate way to handle adversity."

"I'm not sure I understand…" she said in a small voice.

"I taught you that the best way to deal with painful memories was to suppress them, tamp them down, hide them away. Now you are paying for that lesson, are you not?" He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Had you learned to, ah now, what is the Muggle term for it? Ah yes, 'process your feelings,' I daresay you would not be so conflicted over the recent return of one Sirius Black."

Rinna felt as if she'd been struck utterly dumb; she would not have been able to speak had she tried, so rattled was she by what had been said. Dumbledore added, "I had hoped that meeting Harry again would help you sort through some of your painful past and give you a reason to let go of some of the responsibility you have so needlessly heaped on yourself."

"What… what do you mean?"

His blue eyes pierced to her heart. "Let go of the guilt, my dear. There is no need to hold on to it anymore, and it does you harm if you continue to do so." He removed his hand from her shoulder after giving it a gentle squeeze.

Rinna sat in complete stillness for a while. "You have given me a lot to think about," she commented softly. "All my life, you have been challenging me, haven't you? Pushing me to do my best. Guiding me in the way I should go."

"And now I have offered you another challenge." He took the documents from the coffee table and rolled them up neatly. "So what say you to my offer? Shall I submit this along with your application," and a new parchment suddenly appeared on the table, with a quill and inkwell ready, "to the Board of Governors? It is not a given, but I tend to get what I want when it comes to the staff at Hogwarts."

She seized the quill and filled out the application. "Why not? I've not been one to refuse you very often, you know."

His eyes twinkled as he replied, "Oh, I don't know about that. You certainly refused to comply with my request to refrain from passionate snogging sessions in broom closets with a certain Marauder, as I recall."

She looked at him sourly. "I do hope that you do not punctuate staff meetings with embarrassing anecdotes such as that one, because it is not too late for me to tear this up, you know."

Dumbledore hastily snatched the parchment from her hands and added it to the roll. "Certainly not. Well… at least not until mid-term…" he added with a wily chuckle.

Rinna snorted. "Besides," she added, "you know that McGonagall completely over-reacted to that incident." Dumbledore raised his eyebrow at her. "To all those incidents, really." Dumbledore wisely said no more, and finished his Guinness.

* * *

Remus Lupin stood on Rinna's doorstep, finger poised at the doorbell, his heart drumming nervously in his chest. It was ridiculous, really, to be apprehensive. After all, he'd been here many times before. He took a deep breath and remembered the owl he'd received:

_Dear Remy,_

_The potion is ready, I daresay in the nick of time, so you may come over anytime you wish. You need to take the first dose in the next 24 hours, so tomorrow morning? I'm working just one shift tonight, so ten o'clock wouldn't be too early. Stop making that face that I know you are making!_

_Love,_

_R_

He'd been surprised at the tone, because it had read like any other note or letter she'd ever sent him. There was no sign of their recent…involvement… in it. As if she was acting like nothing had happened between them. He wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or hurt. He wasn't sure _what_ he should feel about her, or about coming over to her house, where they would be together alone…

The door opened suddenly, startling him into pressing the doorbell. Rinna stood in the doorway, her arms crossed, eyeing him with a smile on her face. "Well, it appears that we have this backwards. Shall we try again?" she chuckled as she started to shut the door on him.

He extended his arm to stop the door from closing. "Very funny. Were you trying to give me a coronary?"

"I most certainly wasn't. Why go to all the trouble of brewing your potion if I intended to have you kick off on my doorstep?" Her smile turned cheeky. "I was just wondering how long you were going to stand there, staring. Had you forgotten how to ring the bell?"

_So this is how we are going to play it, huh?_ "You know, I don't need to stand here and suffer harassment from a saucy wench like you. I can get that as easily at Mundungus' place."

She laughed as she turned for the kitchen. "Does Dung keep many saucy wenches about, then? I wouldn't be surprised, the lecherous lout that he is."

Remus followed her. "And how would you know that he is lecherous?"

"Please. That is common knowledge." She placed her hand on a box sitting on the kitchen table. "Let me show you something." She opened the lid, and Remus saw that there were bottles nestled safely inside. "These ones with the purple stoppers are for this month," she explained. "I brewed a double batch, and added a preservative to half, so the red stoppers are for next month."

Remus frowned a little. "I've never heard of adding a preservative to it. What did you add? Will it change the effects?"

She tossed a periodical at him. It was May's issue of _The Journal of Advances in Potions_. He turned to the table of contents and saw the article on recent advances in Wolfsbane potion. He skimmed it with interest.

"It will keep the potion efficacious for up to six weeks. After that, well, it would be like what you experienced last month. I contacted the research team at St. Mungo's. They did trials for two years before the article was published. They are hoping to be able to preserve it up to four months eventually." She studied him seriously. "You know I wouldn't give you something that I didn't think was safe or effective, Remy."

He looked up at her. "Of course I know that, Rinna." He closed the journal and set it on the table. "And you know how much I appreciate this, don't you?" he asked, indicating the box.

"As if I would ever not consider doing this for you! I'm glad you asked." She held his gaze as she smiled at him, but their eyes locked just a little too long for propriety, and Rinna hastily cleared her throat and looked away. "So, uh, I'll brew some every month, with the preservative, and so we'll always be a month ahead. That way if I ever bollix a batch…"

Remus snorted. "As if _that_ would ever happen…"

She looked at him sharply, catching the look of amusement on his face and continued, "Or if for some reason I can't brew it that month, well then we have backup."

He crossed his arms and leaned one hip against the table. "Thank you. You've no idea how much peace of mind this gives me."

Rinna put the lid back on the box, and took out some twine to secure it. As she fumbled with the knot, she was acutely aware of the awkwardness in the silence between them. "So where will you spend the next full moon, then?" she asked.

Remus shrugged. "Someplace quiet, someplace deserted, I suppose."

"I have a cellar here. You'd be safer than off in some wood or abandoned warehouse, you know," she told him.

He kept a neutral expression. "I don't think it would be a good idea for me to stay here," he said gently.

Rinna sat abruptly at the kitchen table and put her head in her hands. "Bloody effing hell," she whispered.

"What is it?" Remus asked in concern.

"I may not make mistakes when it comes to potions, Remus, but I'm first rate at botching relationships, it seems," she said miserably. She looked up at him, and before he could say anything she said, "I'm so sorry, Remy."

He sat down next to her. "About what?"

"I'm sorry, Remus, because I haven't been fair to you..."

He thought he understood. "You are regretting what happened between us," he commented.

"Yes. Well, no. No, 'regretting' is not the right word... I _liked_ what we had going on, whatever it was, to be honest... It's just that... I was being very selfish, Remus. And I wasn't being very honest with myself, and therefore not honest with you."

"I understand, Rinna. You could never love me in that way."

"NO! That's not what I mean!" She pushed the chair back abruptly as she stood. She stalked over to the teakettle and filled it, setting it on the burner to boil. "I was scared, Remus, and confused, when you told me the truth about Sirius... and you were there, solid and dependable, like a rock, like you have always been for me and…" She let out a heavy sigh. "And I feel like I've used you. And I'm afraid that I've buggered up our friendship."

Remus crossed the kitchen and took her by the arm, shaking her gently. "If you are going to insist on assigning blame, Rinna, then be sure to shoulder only your fair share. We were both drunk that day, but I still knew I was crossing a line…and I didn't care." He let go of her and raked his hand through his hair. "So if anyone was using anyone, it was me taking advantage of you while you were vulnerable."

"You could never take advantage of anyone!" She exclaimed indignantly. "It's not in your nature."

He laughed and leaned his hip against the counter, facing her. "I can always count on you to completely overlook my faults, can't I?" Then he grew somber again. "I've always known where I stood with you, you know. There were lines I drew in my mind, boundaries I'd set that I'd refused to cross… but I had reached my limit of watching you torture yourself and seeing the sorrow in your eyes, and I thought that if I could just make them light up with happiness…" He looked at her sadly. "But I'm not the man who can do that…"

"I'm so sorry, Remy. I was doing everything I could to avoid realizing that I am still in love with Sirius, and it wasn't fair to you at all…" her voice dropped to a whisper.

He turned and leaned back against the counter with a sigh. "I knew you were still in love with him." He saw the question on her face. "That night, you were lying in my arms, but you were dreaming of him and it was his name on your lips." Her eyes grew wide, but before she could apologize yet again, he continued, "I went into this with my eyes wide open, Rinna. I knew where your heart was… I was being selfish, too. There was a time, when you said to me that when you were with me, you felt like you would _almost_ be all right, and I was willing to settle for that. But that wasn't fair to you; you deserve to be more than just 'almost all right.' You deserve to be happy, Rinna."

Her eyes glinted with tears. "You deserve that, too, you know," she said softly as she put her hand on his cheek. His mind stirred with the memory of Tonks on her balcony, telling him much the same thing, touching his cheek tenderly…

Remus took her hand, removed it from his face and held it loosely, lost in quiet thought. The whistle of the kettle broke their reverie. She squeezed his hand, and dropped it, turning away to prepare the tea. He sat down once again as she brought the teapot and cups over to the table. They sipped in companionable silence.

Finally, Remus stated in a didactic manner, "As far as buggering up our friendship goes, I have a theory."

She couldn't help but smile. "Care to enlighten me, Professor?"

"Our friendship has withstood many things, most of them far more devastating than a few experimental sessions of kissing and whatnot…"

She affected an affronted expression. "Excuse me? When was there 'whatnot?' I don't recall any 'whatnot,' and if I participated in any without my knowledge, well... I'm going to be severely disappointed that I don't remember it!" she said, mischief crinkling at the corners of her eyes. "Besides, I'll have you know that I am not a 'whatnot' kind of girl!" she added in a haughty voice.

He grinned at that. For how many years now had they couched their affection for each other, and diffused their attraction for each other, in humor? This was comfortable and familiar, and he felt a band of tension around his heart release. "Oh, don't you try and tell me that you are not a 'whatnot' kind of girl, Miss Dunlevy!" he said as he wagged his finger in front of her face. "Do you forget that teenaged boys share the sordid details of their romantic conquests with their best mates?"

Rinna rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I am so glad I was _not_ aware of that in school, or I would not have ever been able to face the rest of you!" Even now, her cheeks felt very hot. "But we've strayed onto a huge tangent from the point I hope you have, Remy."

His face softened as the grin faded. "My point is… this doesn't botch something as solid as we have. We haven't ruined anything; we've just discovered a chink in the armor that we need to be careful about exposing again, that's all," he told her. He searched her eyes. "I love you; always have and always will."

She understood. "I love you, too, you wolf," she said fondly. The conversation lapsed again until Rinna said, "But I need to clear one thing up, Remy. As far as me never being able to love you in that other way…"

"Rinna," he said in warning.

"I think you're wrong. I believe I could, if circumstances were different, but…"

"But they're not," he said quietly, "and I can't live on what might have been anymore."

She looked at him compassionately. "No, and you shouldn't," she replied. "But you need to know that you are loveable."

For the second time, her words conjured the memory of a colorfully coiffed Auror, and Remus smiled. "If you say so, Rinna, then it must be true."

She smacked her hand down on the table at his remark. "Finally! It has taken years, but it's about time you figured that out!"

* * *

Sirius had spent the night in the woods, explaining to Harry that he did not want to impose on Molly and Arthur, and knowing their good natures, he was sure if they knew he was nearby, they would insist on housing him. "Harboring a fugitive: not something that Arthur should be caught at, you know," he said. Harry understood, and had gone back to the house to pilfer some food and an old blanket, and return the shears he'd used to cut the rose.

Harry had spent much of the next day monopolizing Sirius as they talked about the old days at Hogwarts, Sirius' friendship with James, the Marauders' adventures, and Quidditch. Ron and Hermione were finally let in on the secret of Sirius' presence after they had become concerned that Harry had disappeared completely (having missed lunch) and was likely in the throes of deep depression. They had been rather surprised when he had popped in the side gate not long after they'd started calling for him ginning in happiness, quite the opposite of the despondent mess they'd envisioned.

The three of them had convinced Molly to let them have an evening of campfire in the woods with a late picnic dinner, marshmallows and butterbeer. "I hope Mum will let us do this again tomorrow night," Ron said around a mouthful of toasted marshmallows.

Sirius tossed another log onto the small campfire. "Unfortunately, I will need to be leaving tomorrow," he said with regret.

"What?" Harry protested, "Why?"

"I plan on spending the full moon with an old friend," Sirius replied as he placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Not that is makes up for all the years I couldn't be there for him."

Harry swallowed his disappointment, but after hearing Sirius talk about his friendships that day, he knew how much this meant to his godfather. "Right." He sighed. "So when will I see you again?"

Sirius looked at his godson affectionately. "I don't know exactly when, Harry. I wish I could tell you, but being on the lam isn't very conducive to scheduling family get-togethers, you know." Harry felt all warm at the thought that Sirius considered him family.

"Oh great," Hermione groused, licking her sticky fingers. "I suppose this means you will be resuming your love affair with that scrapbook?"

Harry felt a little guilty at her remark; he hadn't been spending as much time with Hermione as he would have liked lately. "I'm not having a love affair with it…" he began, defensively.

"Oh no?" Ron chortled. "You've only been sleeping with it on the couch, keeping it under your pillow in our room… Sounds rather like the torrid romance novels that Hermione's been reading!"

Hermione rounded on Ron in indignation. "I have NOT been reading those trashy romance novels! Those are your mother's! As IF I would read such utter nonsense!"

Sirius sat back, arms across his chest, and took in the scene. He was reminded so forcibly of memories of his mates and two ginger-haired girls bickering good naturedly that he found that his eyes were wet. When he trusted his voice again, he held out his hands and said, "Whoa, whoa! What's this all about?"

"Rinna left Harry a picture album so he could see pictures of his mum and dad," Ron explained, "and Harry's been glued to it ever since." Harry made a noise of protest.

Sirius eyes grew wide. "Hang on. It's not a big one, covered with green leather, is it?" The three kids nodded. Sirius closed his eyes.

"_Ta daaa! You must look at my latest masterpiece," Rinna crowed, placing the scrapbook on Sirius' lap, opened to the pages she'd just completed._

"_Is that what kept you from getting here sooner?" Sirius grumbled, even as he admired the craftsmanship in front of him._

_Rinna gave him a light punch in the arm. "You know, it's the only time I get to behave like a complete girly-girl. You shouldn't begrudge me my little moments of relaxation."_

"_Ha!" He snapped the album shut and set it aside, seizing her swiftly and pulling her into his lap. "I can think of other times when you behave like a girly-girl," he said with a suggestive leer._

_She playfully swatted at him. "Got just one thing on your mind, haven't you, Blackie?" she giggled._

_He wiggled his brows at her and grinned. "Especially when I have you sitting on my lap." He tilted his chin, and captured her lips with his…_

"Sirius?"

Sirius eyes snapped open at the concern in Harry's voice. "I remember that album," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry for mentioning it, Sirius," Hermione apologized, "for bringing up bad memories."

Sirius studied her for a minute. "Just because memories might be painful, doesn't mean they are bad," he said with a significant glance at Harry. "And I suppose that it may actually be a good thing to think about the painful memories, particularly if that inspires you to make the first move to forgive and forget."

Harry went to sleep that night with those words of his godfather nudging at his heart.

* * *

**This has been the longest I've ever taken between updating chapters! I am very sorry, and will try not to let that happen again. I hope that the knowledge that the next chapter is well on its way to being completed in some way makes up for my tardiness.**

**And thanks to everyone who rose to the occasion in my review challenge and pushed me to 108 reviews! I love you all so much (gets all mushy here)! Kerichi says I should thank you all by name, and she is right! So my humblest gratitude to: Darkened Angel 16, Cat, SJ, Coryna, passerby2, kez, MaryBeth, Jerrac, Jackie Rogers, Heather, Kerichi, Lorett, BlckAmthystStar, Rain, and last but not least, Purple-Starz83, who was my 100th reviewer! Hugs to you all!**

**Alrighty then, seeing as I'm so giddy from all those reviews, keep the love coming, folks, and leave a review for chapter 13!**

15


	14. Quidditch, Correspondence, & Conversatio

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 14: Quidditch, Correspondence, and Conversations**

**Disclaimer: I must despondently report that I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe. I'm seriously considering begging JKR to let me have them, because they are just SO much fun to write about! Speaking of which, any characters, places, situations or whatnot that you don't find in her fabulous books, well they are mine. Also, I have quoted directly from JKR's _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_, and I will give credit in the author note at the end.**

**Please join me and lift your glass (filled with your choice of festive beverage) in a toast to my dear friend and beta-extraordinaire, Lorett. If it hadn't been for her persuasiveness about 9 months ago, this story would not exist anywhere but in my mind.**

_Dear Rinna,_

_I'm sorry about how everything went last time. I hope you aren't too angry or anything. I just wanted to let you know that I looked up your broom in that book you gave me, and it is worth a lot now. So, you should probably consider coming over to retrieve it because Charlie keeps mooning over it like it was his girlfriend, and I don't think any of us will be able to stop him if he decides to elope with it! _

_Anyway, Mrs. Weasley has been wondering when you are going to come to get your things, and I think she is going to invite you for dinner soon. I hope you'll come. I still haven't had a chance to talk with you about my mum. _

_Sincerely,_

_Harry_

_-----------_

_Rinna luv,_

_It has been nearly two weeks, where have you been? Now you know I don't like to meddle, dear, but really! Harry has been moping about, looking at that album you've left him. You know that he found out in just a matter of a few weeks that he had a godfather AND a godmother, and yet neither of them has been available to him. Really, that is as cruel as dangling a ferret in front of a hippogriff and snatching it away! _

_I suspect that you are feeling embarrassed about all the incidents with Sirius. I hope you can put all that behind you and come to dinner, say tomorrow night, or the night after? You do have your broom and clothes to pick up, and it is not too late to set things right with your godson, you know._

_I only say these things because I care about you, dear._

_Love,_

_Molly_

_------------_

_Dear Molly,_

_It is reassuring to me to know that your mastery of laying on the guilt in thick layers like jam has not diminished one iota! Yes, I am embarrassed and feeling like an utter idiot about those fiascos with Sirius. Yes, I feel like complete dragon dung for disappearing from Harry's life after dropping off that album. Yes, I will accept your invitation to dinner, but it will have to be the night after tomorrow due to work. I will try not to disappoint you and incur any more of your wrath. _

_And since when have you not liked to meddle!_

_Thank you for loving me and mothering me and please, next time, try not to hold back on the scathing tongue-lashing._

_Love,_

_Rinna_

_------------_

_Dear Harry,_

_Thanks for letting me know about the invitation. I've actually just responded; I'm coming to dinner the day after tomorrow._

_Please know that I was never angry with you, Harry. I'm rather embarrassed at my behavior, and I'm afraid you've probably gotten a miserable impression of me so far. So, I'm hoping to rectify that in a few days. I'll try to behave myself! And we shall definitely take some time to talk about your mum. I really do want you to know what an amazing person she was._

_As for my Silver Dart… please make sure that Charlie isn't drooling on it, or pawing it needlessly. And for Merlin's sake, do NOT let him abscond with it! I am trusting you to guard the virtue of my broom, Harry. I know you are up to the task!_

_Hoping to do a better job of being your godmother,_

_Rinna

* * *

_

Arthur Weasley burst into the Burrow and shouted triumphantly, "I've got 'em! I've got 'em! Box seats! What do you think of that, eh?" His announcement was greeted by a chorus of cheers. Arthur looked around the dinner table at the people gathered there until his eyes locked onto his wife. "Sorry about being late to dinner, dear, but this makes up for being called in on my day off, don't you think?" he grinned at her.

"Well, I suppose," Molly said grudgingly, but there was a smile on her face.

"Nonsense!" said Arthur, "of course it does!" He came up behind his wife and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Do you know what this means, my love?" he asked Molly.

"I presume that we will be breaking out the old tent?" she supplied.

"Yes!" He pounded his fist on the table in emphasis. "We shall be breaking out the old tent!"

Another round of hurrahs and whistles went up, nearly deafening everyone there. Arthur moved along the table as he navigated his way to his seat, placing a hand on Rinna's shoulder for a quick squeeze as he passed her. "Well, here's my wayward girl! Good to see you, Rinna," he said. "You will be joining us, I trust, in the Top Box?" His exultant look threatened to split his face right in half.

Baffled as she was, Rinna couldn't help but smile at all the infectious excitement, and especially the jubilant expression that Arthur wore. She shrugged apologetically. "Well, I suppose I could, IF I knew what you all were going on about."

Arthur looked at her incredulously as he took his seat. "What? Have you forgotten that England is hosting the Quidditch World Cup?"

Rinna's mouth made an O of realization. She was surprised to be included in the Weasleys' plans, especially since such choice seats were hard to come by, and, honestly, she hadn't expected to be adopted so seamlessly back into the family fold after so many years out of touch. Better to let them think that she had forgotten. "Goodness, that's Monday, isn't it?"

"You are coming, aren't you?" Arthur and Harry spoke at the same time.

As Rinna's gaze moved from Arthur to Harry, her heart gave a little wrench to see the eager, hopeful look on his face. There was no way out of it, not if she didn't want to be a huge disappointment to her godson, _again_. Besides… they were Top Box seats! She grinned at Harry. "I wouldn't miss it for all the Galleons at Gringotts!"

Harry gave her his high-voltage grin and bobbed in his seat with emphasis, "Brilliant!"

Rinna resolved that she would make damned sure that Harry had more occasions to wear that dazzling smile. She looked around the room at all the happy faces; there was no way in hell she was missing this opportunity. She'd just have to tell Dorrie to find someone else to use the ticket she'd already purchased with her Auror friend.

* * *

Harry stepped out to the back porch, looking for his godmother. He found her down by Mrs. Weasley's rosebushes, and he swallowed nervously when he noticed which bush she was inspecting. He cleared his throat and said, "I've brought out some cookies…"

She turned and eyed the plate he was carrying. "Mmm… Chocolate chip." She took one and bit into it. "Molly makes the best chocolate chip cookies." She licked the melted chocolate from the still-warm-from-the-oven cookie off her fingers.

Harry mumbled agreement around his third cookie, and following her lead, licked his fingers too. Rinna cocked her head and looked at him. "So," she said softly, "is Sirius still here?" She almost laughed at the expression on his face: like he'd been caught filching the cookies he'd brought her.

He swallowed and answered, "Uh, no, not anymore. He left before the full moon. Said he was going to spend it with Professor Lupin." He tried to read her expression, but it was difficult to do in the deepening twilight. "How did you know?"

Harry was relieved to hear a low chuckle. "It took me a few days to remember where I'd seen a rose like that before. And it seemed peculiar to me that it wasn't delivered by owl like the last one he sent me, but left on my doorstep instead… unless, it was so I wouldn't see the owl that delivered it and recognize her snowy white plumage?" She quirked an eyebrow at him. "I just put together the facts and concluded he was here."

Harry hoped it wasn't wishful thinking on his part, but she sounded a little disappointed that Sirius was gone. Something she'd said caused his brows to come together. "Hang on, he sent you another rose?"

She chuckled again, "Yes, the day after I made such an ass of myself when I'd read that letter…" Harry could tell she was smiling when she said, "It's classic Sirius, really. Sending me an anonymous rose by owl…"

Her voice definitely sounded dreamy. Harry grinned. This was promising. "You know what I think?" he asked. His tone practically dripped with _I know something you don't_.

"What?" was the amused reply as Rinna crossed her arms.

"I think he wants to get back together with you."

Rinna stared at him and a bizarre image popped into her head of Harry ghost-writing the "Dear Alberta" column in the Sunday _Prophet_. She was quiet for a spell before she said, more to herself than Harry, "Yeah, but I don't understand why he would."

Harry gave a small snort. "Well, I don't understand it either." Then he realized the words came out sounding wrong. "I- I mean, I don't get why it has to be so hard. He likes you… you like him… you were engaged…"

She eyed him sharply. "Did he tell you that?"

Harry looked a little sheepish. "Ah, no. I figured it out from the pictures you gave me."

"I thought I…"

"The concealment charm got broken," he hastily explained. She studied him suspiciously, but did not press for more details. "So… why don't you just get back together?" he asked.

Rinna sighed. "I wish it were that easy, Harry, but it's not. It's…"

"Let me guess…" he said sardonically, "complicated?"

Her expression was inscrutable as she studied him. "That would be an excellent one-word summary, yes."

Harry asked, "Is it because he's a fugitive?"

"Well, that certainly makes it more challenging, but…" He was looking at her, with serious green eyes that reminded her of his mother. Lily never would have let her off without detailed clarification, and she suspected Harry had inherited her tenacity. Rinna took a deep breath, and huffed it out through her mouth. "The difficulty, Harry, is that I wronged your godfather. I broke faith with him, and the fact is you can't just mend trust overnight. It takes time to rebuild a relationship after something like that, and it needs to be done slowly and carefully… Do you understand what I mean?"

Harry contemplated this, then nodded his head slowly. "Kind of like with you and me, right?"

A lump suddenly formed in Rinna's throat and her heart did a funny _ka-thunk_ in her chest. "Right," she croaked in a whisper, unable to trust her voice to be steady. Once again her godson had swept inside her defenses with his scruffy hair and his mother's eyes and his indomitable spirit and snatched away a piece of her heart like it was a Snitch. What chance did she have against the combined play of Harry the Seeker and Sirius the Chaser?

Harry heard the odd choke in Rinna's answer. "Okay, I'll shut it now if you'd like."

Rinna cleared her throat. "No, that's alright. Maybe we should go sit down though. And I think a change of topic would be good."

"Sure," said Harry, turning for the porch. "Will you tell me something about my mum?"

Rinna felt a new-found appreciation for the Muggle saying _out of the frying pan, into the fire_, but she was ready. "I will," she assured him. "Would you like to hear more about how we became friends?" She was treated to her second exposure of the evening to the megawatt grin.

Harry was ecstatic over the wealth of information he discovered about his mum. He kept asking question after question, storing up everything Rinna told him for later pondering. He was sorely disappointed that their talk had to end, because he'd really only scratched the surface of what he wanted to know, but he believed Rinna when she told him that they would have more talks like this one in the future.

Rinna was somewhat surprised that she found it much easier to talk about Lily now than a few weeks ago. It was bizarre, but once she started, she found it really not that painful to tell more and more about her beloved and sorely missed friend. She still let Harry lead the conversation, though, by asking the things he wanted to know, respecting that this was _his_ search. In the end, although she still felt an aching sadness for her loss, she experienced a sense of contentment that someone else was now able to appreciate just how wonderful a person Lily Evans Potter had been.

* * *

Rinna looked up into the stadium and saw the Top Box the Ministry witch had indicated. She hoped she'd given herself plenty of time; being late for the start of the Quidditch World Cup would do nothing to further her cause to get back in the good graces her godson. Actually, she felt that the two of them had made some good headway the other night after dinner, but that didn't stop her from being concerned about her fledgling relationship with Harry. She was hoping to continue the salvaging of it tonight, especially if she was even considering Dumbledore's crazy proposal to teach at Hogwarts (which she was, seriously).

Her musings had carried her up the purple carpeted steps to the top of the stadium, and she was relieved to see she had minutes to spare. Charlie caught her eye as she looked around the box and he waved enthusiastically. The buzzing excitement and infectious smiles everywhere caused Rinna to grin as she made her way to the Weasleys.

"Hello, old girl," Arthur greeted her warmly with a kiss to the cheek. "Glad you could make it."

"These are fantastic seats! I can't thank you enough for…" she began, slightly breathless from her climb.

"Nonsense. This is a family outing, and you _are_ family, Rinna. Naturally, you'd be included," he smiled at her paternally.

Rinna returned his smile gratefully, then turned and said, "Hullo, Harry, Hermione, Ron." She was greeted enthusiastically.

Harry grinned at her. "Isn't this fantastic?" She nodded in agreement, grinning even more in response to their three excited, happy faces. The youngsters started talking animatedly about everything they'd seen so far. They were interrupted by the arrival of Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, who had the Bulgarian Minister in tow. Rinna moved away and quietly watched as Harry became the center of interest.

"Poor kid. He looks uncomfortable with all the attention."

Rinna spun around at the voice to find Bill at her shoulder, watching the scene with her. He smiled at her in greeting and continued, "At least he hasn't gotten a swollen head, well as far as I can tell. He seems like a nice lad, in spite of how he was treated by those awful Muggles."

"Yes …" she began, but her train of thought was derailed by the sight of a family of light blond heads. _Malfoy._ _Of course, Rinna girl, you couldn't expect to slip back into the wizarding world without running into some old school mates, now could you?_ She snorted, amused that her mind was already schooling her for a politely fake interaction. _'School mate' indeed!_ Rinna had few fond memories of Lucius Malfoy from her early years at Hogwarts, and she remembered who it was that Lucius had supported during the war.

She watched Malfoy shake hands with Fudge, and then turn to Arthur with a contemptuous look. She barely heard Malfoy's soft slur: "Good lord, Arthur, what did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?" The Minister of Magic, of course, missed the insulting comment and continued to prattle on.

Rinna plastered on an impassive smile just as Malfoy's cold grey eyes swept across the row of red-heads, stopping suddenly and returning to her face. His eyes widened slightly, and then he smirked. "Arinna Dunlevy. What a pleasant surprise," he said, his voice as smooth as polished marble.

The expression on Rinna's face did not change. "Lucius." Her voice was genial and neutral.

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione in surprise. "She knows him?" he mouthed silently to them. They both shrugged.

"This is quite a coincidence," Malfoy continued, "to see you here just days after your application crossed my desk." Rinna quirked an eyebrow at him. "I am on the Board of Governors for Hogwarts, you realize."

Rinna nodded her head gracefully. "Of course." Inwardly she cringed, for she hadn't intended to say anything to Harry or the Weasleys unless she was actually formally offered the position at Hogwarts.

Hermione grabbed Harry's elbow tightly. "Did you hear that?" she whispered. Harry and Ron nodded, never taking their eyes off the scene.

"You'll remember my wife, Narcissa, of course," Malfoy commented in an unctuous manner, "and this is my son, Draco." Rinna inclined her head to each, but before she could say anything, Malfoy spoke again. "Tell me, Arinna, you never married then? Narcissa informed me you were engaged to be wed to her black sheep of a cousin."

Rinna gazed at him, inwardly seething. He was baiting her; she could tell from his eyes, hard grey eyes that held a hint of malice. Well, she knew the rules of engagement in skirmishes such as this; one couldn't belong to a Pureblooded family without learning the game and playing it in one form or another in one's life. She lifted her chin, and replied coolly, smile still etched on her face, "Yes, I was to marry her cousin, but as you well know, certain circumstances prevented that from happening."

He chuckled as if she had said something witty. "Ah yes, I suppose it would be hard to wed a murderer when he was serving a life term in Azkaban."

By this point, the Trio was exchanging uncomfortable glances with the rest of the Weasley clan, who were clenching and unclenching their fists. Harry realized he had actually raised his when Draco Malfoy caught his eye and sneered, looking as if he was daring (and perhaps hoping for) Harry to start any trouble.

Rinna wanted to punch the smirk right off Lucius Malfoy's face, but years of upbringing and training in the Pureblooded world, as well as useful skills learned in the Order, _those deep breathing exercises do come in handy now and then_, kept her in check. It should have bothered her, how easily she slipped back into the game, like her foot slipped into a comfortable shoe, but she was too busy feeling the rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins. Her mind was analyzing and plotting at lightning speed.

"I'm wondering, Lucius," she said pleasantly, as if she were talking about how nice the summer evening was, "if there is a point to our lovely conversation, because, riveting as it is, I think I could better spend my time enjoying the sights." She gestured around the stadium and then presented him with a saccharine-sweet smile.

Rinna was rewarded by the barest of twitches in Malfoy's upper lip. "Really, Arinna, can't I just be curious about an old school mate?"

Rinna mentally snorted at that. "Dear Lucius, do I have to remind you that we spent only three years at Hogwarts at the same time, two of which you completely ignored my existence and the final of which you made my life quite hellish because you labeled me a blood-traitor?" Her voice, remarkably, was still quite aloof.

Harry's head snapped up at _that_ interesting bit of information.

Malfoy fixed Rinna with a look of frosty disdain. "I must say, when I looked at your file, I was quite surprised when I made the connection between the woman with that impeccable resume and the little girl who caused so much trouble at Hogwarts because she couldn't seem to pick the right friends." He stopped to flick a condescending glance up and down the row at the Weasleys surrounding her. "But then, I see that you are _still_ associating with red-headed riff-raff." The temperature in the Top Box suddenly seemed to drop to sub-arctic levels. Malfoy snickered to himself triumphantly when he saw a muscle twitch in Rinna's jaw.

Rinna's green eyes snapped. "The Weasleys took me in after my parents were killed, Malfoy." Then her voice dropped in pitch. "An event that I believe you are also well aware of." Her tone was positively glacial.

Grey eyes narrowed. "You should be careful of what you imply, my dear, especially since I have some say in whether or not you will be offered this position you seek at Hogwarts," Malfoy replied in a soft, intimidating voice. The hostile tension in the box was palpable.

Everyone observing the scene jumped in surprise when Rinna threw back her head and laughed. "Lucius Malfoy, you'd be a fool if you thought that I had everything riding on this one position. I have submitted that very same application to schools all across the Continent. I am sure one of them would be pleased to have someone with my credentials working for them." Her smile was full of derision. "Now, I believe we have a Quidditch match to watch."

Harry was dumbfounded by the whole scene, but nothing prepared him for what happened next. Having so tacitly dismissed the very affronted Lucius Malfoy, Rinna turned and graciously took Narcissa Malfoy's hand. "It was nice to see you again after all these years, Cissy," she said sincerely.

Narcissa looked at her with unreadable blue eyes. "It was a pleasure to see you, too, Rinna," she murmured, before turning away completely to find her seat.

Draco Malfoy shot the Trio a look of contempt before joining his parents, but Harry hardly noticed. "Did you hear that?" he hissed at Ron and Hermione. "What she called her?"

"Yeah, she called her 'Cissy.' What's the big deal?" Ron whispered. "I'm more interested in knowing what that talk of a position at Hogwarts was..."

"No," Harry sputtered impatiently, "What Mrs. Malfoy called Rinna."

Hermione was puzzled. "I'm not following you, Harry. She called her 'Rinna.'"

Harry was utterly frustrated by their obtuseness. "She told me that only her _friends_ call her Rinna…" he said, trailing off significantly.

Hermione's eyes widened as Ron said under his breath, "Blimey. D'you think she was friends with Malfoy's mother back at school?"

Whatever reply Harry was going to make was interrupted as Ludo Bagman blustered into the Top Box. "Minister," he addressed Fudge, "ready to go?" When Fudge answered in the affirmative, Bagman spoke the _sonorus _spell, and his amplified voice welcomed the spectators to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup. All eyes focused forward on the stadium, and the altercation between Rinna and Lucius Malfoy was forgotten as the team mascots began their shows.

* * *

After the spectacular ending of the match (Bulgaria 160, Ireland 170), and after the Quidditch World Cup had been handed to the Irish team and they had taken a last victory lap, and after Fred and George had demanded their payment for the bet they'd made with Ludo Bagman on the outcome of the game, the Weasleys, Hermione, Harry and Rinna gradually made their way down the purple stairs and out of the stadium. While Arthur was admonishing the twins to not tell their mother they had been gambling, the rest of the group was talking animatedly about the astonishing outcome of the match.

They reached the Weasleys' campsite, and Arthur, realizing no one would be able to fall asleep right away with all the boisterous celebrating going on, invited Rinna to join them for a cup of hot cocoa. She hesitated. _At some point someone will remember my little tête-à-tête with Malfoy and ask questions, _she thought. Then she looked at Harry, laughing with his friends, and realized she didn't have the heart to go. She smiled at Arthur and thanked him. Soon everyone was sitting in the tent, mugs in hand.

Rinna felt content as she sat and listened, and participated, as the group enthusiastically recalled various plays, and argued about others, and she watched with amusement as the twins took turns reenacting them with their spoons. She laughed and cheered with the rest as George demonstrated Viktor Krum's catching of the Snitch to end the game. So relaxed was she, that it came as a jolt not unlike being doused with a bucket of cold water when Arthur leaned over to pour more hot cocoa in her mug and said, "I say, Rinna. What was Lucius Malfoy going on about some position at Hogwarts?"

That was what she loved about Arthur Weasley: he was a get-to-the-point kind of bloke. There was no beating around the bush, no couching questions in polite terms, no innuendo or intrigue. No wonder he did not get along with most of the other Purebloods!

The tent had quieted to hear her answer. She gave a big sigh. "Professor Dumbledore seems to think I may be of some use to him this year," she began, "in light of certain events that will be happening at Hogwarts…" She was interrupted by Arthur harrumphing pointedly while Charlie choked on his hot cocoa. "…that I am not at liberty to tell you about," she cast an admonishing glance at Harry, Hermione, Ron and the twins, who all looked like they were going to ask the question. "Naturally, any staffing changes have to go through the Board of Governors, so Malfoy has apparently read my application." She shrugged as if unconcerned.

"Would you be teaching?" wondered Hermione.

"What subject?" added Harry, remembering the Defense Against the Dark Arts position had been vacated by Professor Lupin.

"I really hadn't planned on saying anything about it yet, mostly because the position has not been officially offered to me thus far. I'm not one for counting my chickens before they've hatched," she told them, effectively avoiding answering their questions.

"What I want to know," said Bill, his eyes twinkling, "is if you really have put in applications to other schools across the Continent?"

Rinna laughed. "You've called my bluff, Bill Weasley. If this does not come through, then I remain at my current place of employment."

Ginny asked, "What do you do?"

Rinna looked directly at her, her eyes still crinkled in merriment at Bill's impertinence. "I'm a bartender," she said easily. Ginny, Ron, Harry and Hermione weren't sure if she was serious or not, and were too taken aback to press the issue further.

The conversation had returned to Quidditch and it was getting late when Rinna downed the last of her cocoa and stood up. She raised her empty mug in salute to Arthur, and said, "Thank you for the excellent refreshments, and for a smashing evening, everyone. I'm off. Goodnight." She smiled at Harry, who, while disgruntled that he'd not gotten any more information out of her, managed a smile back. Bill and Charlie offered to walk her safely to the Apparition Point, and they exited, one on each of her arms.

----------

They had reached the queue for the Apparition Point, and Rinna was about to thank the two red-headed men when she was startled to hear a cheerful voice: "Well, Arinna Dunlevy, have you come down from your Top Box to mingle with us low-landers?"

Rinna smiled and started to speak before she even turned. "Yes, Dorrie darling, but I'm sure you found yourself some handsome bloke to sit next to you and didn't even miss me at all…" Rinna's voice trailed off in surprise as she completed her turn and came face to face with Tonks and…

Remus Lupin was looking at her with an amused smirk and one eyebrow cocked. Rinna gaped for a long second before her wits returned to her. She shifted her gaze from Remus' face to Tonks'. "Nice job, Dorrie. You got the best of the bunch, I see."

Remus crossed his arms and snorted. "Smooth recovery, Rinna."

"Years of study under the famed Marauders have made me what I am today," Rinna quipped. She turned to the men at her side. "Charlie, Bill, I believe you know my friend Tonks: Auror, chameleon and best roommate ever."

"Nymphadora Tonks," Bill smiled suavely and shook her hand. "It's great to see you again."

"It's just 'Tonks,' Bill," she grinned at him, "and it's good to see you, too." She turned to his brother, "Wotcher, Charlie!"

"Tonks," Charlie said as he bowed exaggeratedly over her hand. He straightened and looked at Remus. "Blimey, Lupin, it seems that every time we see you lately, you're in the company of a beautiful woman!" Charlie was wearing his most charming grin as he glanced sideways at Tonks to see if she'd caught the compliment. She had, and blushed.

Remus drawled, "What can I say, Charlie? It's a gift." He noticed that both women were casting appreciative smiles at the dragon tamer, and felt a sudden nudge of possessiveness. To his dismay, Tonks was speaking, inviting the two Weasley upstarts to join them.

"Remus and I were going to go for drinks, if you lot want to join us?"

The lads looked tempted, but Bill sighed and said, "Thanks, but we probably should get back." He looked at Charlie, who nodded, looking disappointed. Bill smiled at Rinna, "Having done our duty as chivalrous men of honor, madam, by seeing you safely here, and noting that you are now in the company of friends… we bid you adieu." He executed a small bow.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Don't try and show me up, Bill. You only embarrass yourself." He turned and grasped one of Rinna's hands, holding it dramatically to his chest. "All my living hours will be torment from this moment until I lay eyes on you again, milady."

Rinna laughed and extricated her hand. "You two are incorrigible flirts, did you know? Give my best to everyone; I had a wonderful time."

The two cheerily waved and returned to the camp. Rinna turned to see Remus scowling. "They have a lot of cheek," he grumbled. "Will your head shrink down enough that you can join us for drinks?" he asked Rinna a bit sourly.

She frowned at him. "Ha ha. I suppose you think that I get off on young men showering me with compliments and flirting outrageously with me, do you? Feeling a little out of sorts about that, are you?"

Tonks rolled her eyes. Those two picked the oddest times to go off on their little tiffs. "So, shall we go for drinks?" suggested Tonks pointedly.

Her companions looked at each other and shrugged, smiling a little ruefully. "Might as well," said Rinna, "the night is still young, and the company is good."

* * *

Harry lay gracelessly on top of the covers of the bed in the room he shared with Ron, having only managed to kick off his trainers and pull off the sweaty t-shirt he'd been wearing for the impromptu Quidditch game he and Ron, the twins and the eldest Weasley siblings had played. It had served as a means of letting off steam after the long and frightening night that had followed the Quidditch World Cup, because no matter how tired they'd felt as they staggered into the Burrow that morning, everyone had been too wound up to go right to sleep. But now, Ron was already snoring softly, and Harry was in that weird state of being aware of his surroundings but dozing at the same time.

His mind kept replaying the events of the night before, and visions of wizards in masks, terrified Muggles suspended midair, and the Dark Mark hanging low and ominous in the sky swirled together as fatigue finally claimed him and he slipped into unconsciousness. Soon the disturbing images began to meld with memories of a strange dream he'd had a few nights ago. _The snake in the Dark Mark glides out of the skull and begins to slither up the stairs to a room lit by a fireplace, and Wormtail is there… he speaks to a wizard in a mask, but the mask disappears, and there is no face, only a glittering skull in the sky… an old man slumps to the floor, and is suddenly suspended in the air, upside down…and a voice comes from the antique armchair facing the fire, a voice that sounds so familiar, sounds like a woman he knows… like his godmother… "Is anyone there? Arthur? Harry? Sweet Merlin, please tell me everyone is all right?"_

Harry came up from the nightmare sluggishly, willfully dragging himself into consciousness as the dream stubbornly clung to him like ankle-deep mud, sucking and adhering to him. Finally, as he clawed his way into wakefulness, he felt like there was an almost sickening slurp of suction as the dream released his mind. He gasped and sat up, tentatively bringing his hand up to rub his scar, but it only ached the tiniest bit, not like after the dream from the other night. He looked wildly around, disoriented, and saw Ron sit up, bleary-eyed.

"What is it, mate?" Ron asked, unsettled.

Harry shook his head to clear it. Then he and Ron heard voices drifting up the stairs; Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Charlie, and…Rinna. Her voice sounded very strained, and Mrs. Weasley sounded concerned. Harry grabbed a clean t-shirt and threw it on before heading for the stairs, Ron at his heels. He stopped near the bottom to listen.

"Molly, I'm sorry for barging in like that," Rinna was clearly shaken, and her words came out in a rush. "I woke up late, and went for a run, and I finally stopped to pick up the paper and saw this," (Harry heard the _plop_ of a newspaper hitting the kitchen table) "and I panicked."

Mrs. Weasley answered, "Sit down, luv. You look as transparent as a ghost. I'll fix you some tea and we'll tell you what happened." Harry could hear the sound of a teapot filling with water. "Bill, be a dear, and fetch the bottle of Ogden's for me."

Harry could hear Bill moving toward the living room, so he stepped down the rest of the stairs rather than be caught eavesdropping. Ron followed him. Bill glanced at them as he passed. "Hey, you two."

"I thought you were sleeping," Mrs. Weasley said in a disapproving voice, but she set out two more teacups.

Rinna brought her hand to her forehead. "Oh no, did I wake you?" Harry noticed that she did look rather pale, and her mouth was drawn with worry.

"Nah," Harry lied. Ron shook his head, taking his cue from Harry. They sat at the table and accepted tea from Mrs. Weasley with thanks. Harry noticed that Mrs. Weasley poured some Ogden's Old Firewhiskey into Rinna's tea, and that Rinna's hands were shaking as she sipped it. Her eyes kept drifting to the large black and white photo of the Dark Mark on the front page of the _Daily Prophet_. Harry wondered how many times she had seen that mark in the past.

Harry, Ron, Charlie and Bill explained to her everything that happened after she had left the campsite. She grew even paler, if that were possible, especially when Harry explained that it was his wand that was used to conjure the Dark Mark.

"Was anyone killed?" she whispered.

"Not that we know of," answered Bill.

"Then why would they cast the Dark Mark?" she wondered.

"We saw someone cast the spell, but it was far away from where the Death Eaters were," Ron said.

"But if the Death Eaters didn't cast it, then who did?" Rinna wore a perplexed frown as she tried to puzzle it out.

"Dunno," said Charlie, "but I suppose that's what Dad is trying to figure out at the Ministry right now."

"Have a little more tea, Rinna?" Mrs. Weasley offered, and without waiting for a reply, she refilled the cup from the kettle and added some more whiskey. Rinna gave a small smile of thanks. "Feeling any better, dear?" the motherly woman asked solicitously.

Rinna placed her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands. "It was just such a shock, seeing that picture in the paper," she said softly, "and knowing that you all were there…"

Mrs. Weasley stood behind her and put her hands on the upset witch's shoulders. "Everyone is safe," she said soothingly. Rinna nodded, and sipped her tea, still looking worried.

Eventually Rinna said, "Well, I should be going. You lot look like you could do with some sleep." She gave Harry a little smile, and he had the feeling that she didn't believe that she hadn't woken him and Ron.

Harry suddenly had the idea to tell her about his odd dream a few nights before, and that his scar had hurt. "Rinna," he said quickly, "can I talk to you before you go?"

"Of course," she answered quizzically. She looked around. "Shall we go to the living room?"

"Yeah," he answered with some relief, wishing for privacy.

"What is it, Harry?" she questioned, once they were alone.

Harry fidgeted a bit nervously. "Well, I had a strange dream about three days ago. I wrote Sirius about it, but Hedwig hasn't come back with an answer yet… and I wanted to know what you think."

A flush finally colored Rinna's pale face, and Harry thought she looked rather pleased that he was asking her advice. "Tell me about it," she suggested. So he told her all the details he could remember about Wormtail and the old Muggle man, and Voldemort plotting to kill Harry.

"And then there was a flash of green light, and I woke up, and my scar was hurting."

"Has your scar ever hurt before?" she queried.

"Yeah, yeah it has. Whenever Voldemort was at Hogwarts." Harry noted again that she didn't flinch at the name. "But I don't see how he could have been near here."

"Right," she said thoughtfully.

Harry haltingly asked, "Do you know why my scar would hurt? And do you think it was just a dream…?"

She looked at him appraisingly. "I haven't heard about curse scars hurting," she told him. "I'll look into it. And to be honest, it sounds a little too detailed to be a dream. Besides how would your mind come up with those images? I suppose it could… some dreams have symbolic meanings you know, or at least most people think so…" She looked apologetic. "I'm no help at all, am I?"

He tried not to look too disappointed, but then again, he felt like he could be honest with her. "Well, uh, not really."

She looked him up and down, and Harry felt like she was sizing him up, seeing if she thought he had enough mettle. "Harry, I think that this isn't just a dream. I don't know exactly what you saw, but it does seem a bit of a coincidence that it happened just days before all of this Dark Mark business, now doesn't it?" Harry nodded. He was afraid she might say that.

"I'll tell you what," she stated. "I will do a little research on this, and if I come up with anything, any explanations, I will let you know. And will you be sure to tell me if you remember any more details, or if you have the dream again?"

"Okay," Harry agreed. "Thanks."

She gazed at him, and her expression softened. "I'm glad you felt like you could tell me about this, Harry," she said quietly.

He looked at her seriously. "Thanks for listening, and for not telling me I'd gone barmy."

"I will always listen to you, Harry. I promise. Anytime you need me to. All right?"

He grinned. "Yeah."

She reached her hand to his shoulder and gave it a squeeze before pulling him into a quick hug. "Now go get some rest, scamp," she said affectionately, and she ruffled his hair.

Harry didn't feel any better about his dream, or the events at the QWC, but he still couldn't help the grin on his face as he made his way back upstairs and to bed. Talking to his godmother about his worries had definitely been a good idea.

* * *

**Author Note: 1. In the paragraph where Lucius Malfoy speaks to Arthur Weasley, it isa quote directly from _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, _from chapter 8 "The Quidditch World Cup."**

**2. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Originally, it had a lot more to it, but I realized that much of it was superfluous to the plot and needed to be cut, so I hope this was satisfactory for everyone. Please, please, please review and tell me what you thought! I am grateful for everyone who reviewed my last chapter: Coryna, SJ, Kerichi, Heather, Cat, kez, Abril, BlckAmthystStar, and nurray. Hugs and kisses to all of you!**

**3. My fabulous beta, Lorett (who deserves heaps of praise) suggested that I post the stuff I cut out down below for anyone who is interested to read. (Kind of like the deleted scenes from a DVD.) It is a little glimpse into what Remus, Tonks and Rinna did after leaving the QWC to go have drinks. Like I said, it did nothing to advance the plot, and was a bit silly, really, so I stopped writing it midway. But it was fun to write and so I will share it with you now.

* * *

**

Remus and Tonks found a table near the dance floor of the Muggle club Tonks had chosen. Rinna arrived soon after with a tray of shot glasses filled with a clear liquid, a bowl of cut limes and a large saltcellar. Tonks groaned, "No Dunnie, not tequila. That stuff is like dirty socks!"

"Sucked on many dirty socks, have you?" Rinna asked archly. "I'll have you know, Dorrie, that this is not that cheap nasty stuff you are referring to. This is fine, top of the line; very expensive and very smooth sipping tequila. It will roll down your throat like cream."

Remus took an experimental sniff. "It doesn't smell like dirty socks," he noted. "What are the limes and salt for, if we're not going to do shots? I thought you said this was for sipping?"

"It is," Rinna said patiently, "or it can be. I, being the friend that I am, and taking pity on you and your refined tastes," she smirked at Remus impudently at that point, "decided to splurge and get the good stuff so we can enjoy ourselves… of course, if our goal is to get royally pissed, then I'll get the cheap swill…"

"No, no… I don't think it would be a good idea to get pissed," Remus hastily interrupted. Tonks smirked and eyed each of them knowingly.

"Well, then, do shots or sip, as you see fit." Rinna divvied up the glasses, and the three companions sipped comfortably and allowed themselves to unwind from all the excitement of the evening.

The sounds of dance music filled the club with a pulsing rhythm. "I feel like dancing," Tonks exclaimed. "Who's with me?"

Rinna glanced at her friend. "This seems suspiciously like use of the Nymphadora Tonks Formula..."

"Well, we have the beverage, and the exertional activity, but only one of the sentient components..." she glanced at Lupin who was looking at them quizzically. "But why not, it's close enough!" Tonks laughed. "C'mon you two!"

Rinna shrugged and grinned, standing up to follow but Remus shook his head. "Oh, come on, Remy," Rinna cajoled. "You owe me for the tequila, you know."

He raised his eyebrows. "I see how it is... you buy a guy a few drinks, and suddenly expect him to do your nefarious bidding."

Tonks laughed, "Oh, you poor baby! Feeling cheap and used, are we?" Remus nodded, trying to keep a petulant look, but the wicked twinkle in his eye ruined the effect he was going for. "Don't worry, Remus, we'll still respect you in the morning," Tonks teased. "Won't we, Dunnie?"

Rinna nodded emphatically as she hooked her arm under Remus' and hauled upward, pulling him out of his seat. She adopted the demeanor of a vampy movie actress and purred, "Oh, yes, dahling... we'll respect you," she made the word 'respect' sound very risqué, "in the morning, at lunch time, tea time, whenever you want..."

She had brought him around the table by this point, so Tonks latched onto the other arm and picked up the charade, "We have plenty of respect for a scrummy bloke like you, Professor." Her voice dripped with suggestive promise as she helped Rinna pull him onto the dance floor.

"All right, all right!" Remus laughingly conceded defeat. "I'll dance, but only to stop you both from sexually harassing me."

Tonks moved very close to him, gyrating her hips to the music, and placed her lips close to his ear to make herself heard, "You don't look all that harassed to me, Lupin!" Remus grinned, and noticed that she made no effort to move out of his personal space.

A song or two later, it was hard for him to tell because they all sounded the same to him, Remus made his escape back to the table. He sipped on his last shot, savoring the burn and taste of the liquor. Rinna knew her stuff, Muggle or otherwise. He smiled at the girls as they had turned and waved to him, laughing, and then felt the need to wave back to them. He didn't realize how the three of them carrying on must have looked until he heard a masculine voice behind him.

"Lucky bastard. Are they both yours?"

Remus snorted. As if someone would actually think he was the type of fellow who could handle the two of them at once! "Yeah, they're both mine," he stated sardonically, turning to face the man who'd addressed him.

The man, obviously a working class bloke out having a few drinks with his buddies before heading home, nodded and watched them dance and asked, "So are they into each other, too?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right." He didn't realize the man was drunk enough for the sarcasm to be lost on him.

The stocky fellow gave a loud guffaw, clapped his hand on Remus' shoulder and said, "Cor Blimey! Two crackin' birds like them. You are one jammy bloke, mister!" before making his way back to his mates in the back.

* * *

**Last A/N: Ha ha! Sometimes I am amazed by what utter crap I'm capable of writing! Hope you got a little laugh from that. Hugs to all my wonderful readers!**

17


	15. Hogwarts

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 15: Hogwarts**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe. And I don't lead a very exciting life, either, which is how I manage to find time to write stories using these wonderful characters that I do not, in fact, own (please refer to previous sentence regarding said ownership). Speaking of which, any characters, places, situations, vintages or whatnot that you don't find in her fabulous books, well they are mine. **

* * *

Rinna opened her front door and slipped her arm around the elbow of her guest. "Hullo, what's a handsome bloke like you doing on my doorstep?" she greeted him.

Remus rolled his eyes. "And thus the schmoozing begins…" he sighed. "What are you going to try to sweet-talk me into, Rinna?"

She ignored his comment. "Did I mention that you are looking especially dashing this afternoon, Mister, er … Just what is your title now, anyway?"

Remus straightened the collar of his worn shirt, assuming a haughty manner. "I am an authenticator and crafter of magical documents and contracts."

She affected a simpering smile. "Oh Remy!" she cooed, "You make is sound so... glamorous, so sexy, so..."

"Bloody boring?" he suggested with a lift of his eyebrows.

"Hmmm. Took the words right out of my mouth! But it can't be any worse than tending bar."

"And I don't have to dress like a tart." Remus cast her a sly look.

"Hey!" Rinna sounded affronted, but her grin belied that. "I don't recall you objecting too much... besides, I don't have to dress like a tart anymore!"

He laughed. "Hear, hear! Instead you will dress like a matron!"

She looked aghast. "Perish the thought!"

"Really, Rinna, I can see you in a high-necked tartan plaid robe giving Minerva McGonagall a bit of competition in the fashion world of Hogwarts." He laughed again at the expression on her face.

She glared at him. "Bite me, Remy!"

"Not the best thing to suggest to a werewolf, luv!" He followed her into the kitchen. "And you haven't answered my question, you know."

She pulled a bottle of wine out of the refrigerator, turned and regarded him with an innocent smile. "Chardonnay?" she offered, showing him the bottle.

He took it from her hands, examining the label: Brutus Shaw Winery, the Finest Wizarding Vintage. "All right, now I _know_ you are up to something! You wouldn't break out our favorite cheap wine for just any old occasion."

She clicked her tongue. "Really, Remy, you are so mistrustful. Why wouldn't I want to share a 'Thirty Knut Brute' with you? Especially when the occasion we are celebrating is our recent gainful employment?" She took the bottle, popped the cork with her wand and poured two glasses, handing him one. "Cheers!" She clinked her glass against his.

He took a sip before he sat down at the table. "All right, spill."

She slid into the chair next to him. "I need a caretaker for the house. It would be closer to your new job, you'd only have to cover your food… no, listen before you shake your head! It wouldn't be charity, Remus; you'd be doing me a favor, keeping up the house and such. I have to pay on it whether I'm here or not, so someone might as well be here." She began ticking off points with her fingers. "You'd have a permanent place to stay, no Mundungus or other unsavory roommate, the cellar during the full moon…"

"Wait, Rinna, slow down!" Remus held up his hands. "Let me get this straight. You are suggesting that I stay here, rent-free."

"Not exactly. You would stay here, rent-free, in exchange for the upkeep of the property. And before you think I'm offering this because I feel sorry for you, or any other such nonsense, you should know that it comes from purely avaricious motives; I don't want to pay for someone to come over to water the plants and do yard work."

Remus snorted. "Avaricious motives, my arse. You do not have a greedy bone in your body." He swirled the wine in his glass, staring at it. "Case in point: your generous offer."

Rinna sighed in exasperation. "Why can't you see that this would be mutually beneficial?"

He looked up from the glass. "Oh, I can see it. And since you put the arrangement in terms of an exchange of services, thus sparing my pride, and even went so far as to hint that what I'd really be doing is helping out a damsel in distress rather than accepting charity, you have made me a rather palatable proposal."

"So you'll do it?" She clapped her hands.

He smiled and shrugged. "I can't think of a good reason why not." A thought struck him. "Are you sure you won't be uncomfortable with me here when you are home on weekends or holidays?"

She asked him seriously, "Would _you_ be uncomfortable?"

"Not very, I should think." A cheeky smirk spread across his face. "As long as we avoid imbibing in alcohol while we are alone together…" Rinna raised an eyebrow and pointedly lifted her wineglass. Remus' smirk grew wider. "Already, a rule broken… damn."

"Actually, not," she said airily as she went to the cupboard for another glass. "Dorrie will be joining us shortly; I'm cooking a celebration dinner for the three of us."

Remus leaned back in his chair contentedly. _An evening of food and cheap wine in the company of my favorite girls, a place to call home, and soon a paycheck: things are definitely looking up.

* * *

_

The scene in the shade of the large tree on the Weasleys' back lawn, to an outside observer anyway, was a shocking one; bodies lay strewn everywhere, haphazardly. The sound of ragged breathing and groans pierced the humid summer air. Presently, a throaty, wicked chuckle floated over the group: "I can't remember the last time I've had such fun!"

Harry raised his head from the soft lawn to eye his godmother. "What? What about my birthday party? You said that then, you know."

Rinna turned her head to look at him, her eyes shining with mischief. "I suppose I did, but at your party we didn't end the Quidditch games with a water balloon fight."

"Too bad your nefarious little plot backfired, lads," Bill said to the twins as he sat up, "but to be honest, it is so bloody muggy out here that after all that flying, a good soaking was rather welcome." Fred and George merely sat up and gave their oldest brother a look that seemed to imply that this was what they had intended all along.

Rinna sat up, little bits of grass and leaves and other detritus sticking to her damp hair and clothes. "I say, now that I have you all together at the same time, there's something I wanted to discuss with you lot," she flicked her gaze at Charlie and Bill, "at least, the ones returning to Hogwarts in two days…"

"Crikey! What did you bring that up for?" demanded George. "And here we were trying to avoid thinking of the end of the holidays!"

"Which explains this last hurrah celebrating the halcyon days of our summer…" added Fred. "Really, Rinna, it's in poor taste for you to bring up something we are all trying to put out of our minds." He gave a delicate shudder.

Rinna refrained from rolling her eyes and looked contrite. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I was bringing up such a painful subject. I hope I haven't scarred you twins for life," she said sweetly. The rest of the group began to sit up, one by one, curious about what Rinna had to say. She sat cross-legged, her wrists dangling from her knees, waiting for Fred and George to finish their smart retorts. "As you know, my application to teach at Hogwarts was accepted. What I want to talk about is how we should act toward each other when we are there."

"Are you teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Harry inquired.

"Well, I will be assisting your new DADA professor, actually, so yes, but what I want to know is if you want it to be common knowledge that we know each other."

There was much discussion around the group on the lawn, with Bill and Charlie giving input, but in the end, everyone deferred to Harry, since it was felt he would be most affected by any decision. After all, it would already be knowledge to some that Rinna was a distant relative of the Weasleys.

"I think," said Harry carefully, after much thought, "that we shouldn't publicize the fact that I'm your godson. Not keep it a secret, necessarily, but not really volunteer the information, if you know what I mean." He looked at Rinna, to see if she was upset.

She wasn't. "All right then. We'll keep it under wraps for now. It's just as well, since I can't be accused of nepotism if people don't know we're family!" She smiled at Harry. Harry felt warmth permeate him at the thought of Rinna considering him family.

"Do you mean that you'll make us your favorites, then, Rinna?" asked Fred, a sly gleam in his eye.

She looked at him wryly. "In your case, I'd be more likely to be accused of being too harsh on you to _avoid_ charges of partiality, I'm afraid." She gave the twins a look that conveyed _I used to run with the Marauders and I am ready for any of your little tricks. _

George clutched dramatically at his chest. "You wound us! We aren't even at school yet, and you are assuming we'll cause trouble?"

"I wonder why," Rinna said drolly, as she tossed a water balloon she'd been hiding up in the air, catching it neatly before chucking it at him, hitting him square in the chest.

----- -----

After dinner, as Rinna was preparing to leave, Harry was able to catch her alone. "Uh, Rinna? I hope I didn't hurt your feelings or anything… you know, by wanting to keep it quiet that you're my godmother."

She looked at him shrewdly. "No, but I appreciate that you were concerned that you had." She smiled. "To be honest, if I was in your place, and you were in mine, I'd want to find out what kind of teacher you were before I made any open declarations of association with you. I mean, really, are you fair? An ogre? Incapable of teaching your way out of a haystack?"

A funny look stole across Harry's face. "Do you know how to do that mind-reading thing?" he asked suspiciously.

"Legilimency, you mean?" she responded. "I wasn't using it on you just then, if that's what you were thinking."

Harry's eyes widened. "Then you _can_ do it?"

"Oh, I'm not brilliant at it by any stretch of the imagination. I always end up with a reaction headache. I'm far more competent at Occlumency, which is blocking others from my thoughts." She shrugged. "At any rate, I just tried to see it from your perspective, and that's what I came up with. I was spot on, then?"

"Pretty close." He looked abashed. "It's just that…"

"Harry," she said firmly, "I get it. It's all right. You will be 'Harry Potter, student' except, I imagine, when you are causing trouble, in which case you will be 'Mister Potter,'" this was said in a fair imitation of Minerva McGonagall, "and if you are anything like your dad or your godfather, I suspect it will be 'Mister Potter' more often than not!"

She was teasing him, he could tell. He put on his most ingenuous expression. "Trouble? Me?"

She pointed at his face. "There it is! The patented Marauder Face of Innocence! I've seen it many times, my friend. You are a natural!" She laughed, a bit nostalgically. "But Harry, please know that I _am_ taking my role as godmother seriously. You can always come to me if you need me, or just to talk. Anytime."

Harry nodded. "Thanks. I'd like that, I think."

"Well then, I will see you the day after tomorrow." She smiled at him.

"Are you nervous?" he blurted, and then regretted it, wondering if he was getting too personal.

Rinna snorted. "Of course I am! But more like in the way you get nervous before a big important Quidditch match, you know? More excited than scared…"

"Yeah." He knew how that felt. "Well… the day after tomorrow, then." He gave her a quick awkward hug.

She ruffled his hair. "Goodnight, Harry." She apparated and was gone, leaving Harry standing alone with his thoughts.

* * *

The enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry revealed the wickedly stormy weather outside, but fortunately without the rain. Harry was seated at the Gryffindor table with his friends, eagerly awaiting the Sorting, partly because he had not been to one since his own his first year, and partly because it meant they would be that much closer to eating. He looked up at the Staff Table, noting Rinna sitting between Professors Sprout and Flitwick. She looked perfectly calm, but there was an eager glint in her eyes, as if she couldn't wait for the Sorting to start either.

"Did you hear me, Harry?" Hermione was asking. "I said I wonder where the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is? There's an empty seat by the Headmaster…"

"I wish they'd hurry; I'm starving," Ron moaned. But any further lament was cut short by the arrival of the First Years, soaked to the skin by the thunderstorm, and Professor McGonagall placing the Sorting Hat on a three-legged stool at the front of the Hall. The Hat began its song…

Rinna watched the Sorting with great interest, making silent bets with herself as to where each student would be placed. It was a good thing that gambling was not one of her vices; the Hat was not predictable, and there was no real rhyme or reason why it would take a long time to deliberate over one student, and yet almost instantly Sort another. Rinna sighed, ever so slightly annoyed that she could not puzzle out the Hat's magic even after all these years, and began eating her meal that had appeared before her.

Rinna smiled a little wistfully at the beginning of term announcements, especially at the list of Filch's newest forbidden objects. Were there really 437 of them now? She wondered what had ever happened to The Marauder's Map that Filch had finally confiscated from Sirius and James. The corners of her mouth turned up as she nostalgically recalled the botched mission to try to retrieve it from Filch's office that nearly cost her her Prefect Badge during sixth year. She probably should never tell Harry and company about _that_ little adventure, seeing as she was supposed to be a good role model now.

Just as Dumbledore was about to announce that Hogwarts would be hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody made his dramatic appearance. Rinna's mouth pressed harder and harder into a thin line as she watched him limp his way to the Staff Table. As he sat down next to Dumbledore, Rinna took a deep breath and let it out. _Here we go…_

As the students thronged through the doors to the entrance hall after their dismissal to bed, Harry looked back to the Staff Table and caught Rinna's eye. She smiled at him and nodded a silent goodnight. He managed a grin back at her before he was swept out into the hallway.

----- -----

Breakfast the next morning found Ron, Hermione and Harry going over their new class schedules. They did not have Defense Against the Dark Arts that day. The rustling of hundreds of wings caused Harry's head to snap up as the morning owl post began. As usual, Neville Longbottom got a package from his grandmother; he was notorious for forgetting things. Harry frowned as a large eagle owl swooped low before depositing its hefty package in front of Draco Malfoy at the Slytherin table. No doubt it was an oversized tin of sweets and baked goods… spoiled git that he was.

Harry turned his attention to the Staff Table in time to see a barn owl deposit a letter and a long-stemmed crimson rose in front of the new Associate D.A.D.A. teacher. He grinned as his godmother turned a little pink, but mostly because others had taken notice of the delivery and the hall was filled with the _sur-surring_ sound of whispers. Even in only half a day, speculation was running wild among the student body about Professor Dunlevy. Who was she? Why was she teaching in addition to Moody? How old was she? Was she married? (Although it seemed that the last two questions were mostly being asked by the male half of the students.) Harry smirked to himself; he liked possessing knowledge that others did not.

Breakfast ended, and the Trio made to exit the Great Hall to head for the Greenhouses. Harry felt Rinna's gaze on him, and he grinned as he pointedly eyed the rose in her hands and raised his eyebrows. _I know who **that** is from, _his look seemed to convey. Her brows came together but the corners of her mouth quirked as she tried to contain her own grin. Her green eyes twinkled. He could almost hear her voice: _Impertinent scamp!_

----- -----

Rinna left her office with a look of satisfaction on her face. Her first day of classes with the Sixth and Seventh Years had gone well, and she actually was hungry for the first time that day, now that the nerves that had taken over her stomach had settled. She made her way to the stairs to the entrance hall, already hearing the voices of the many students queuing up for dinner. Rinna's feet picked up their pace unbidden at the sound of Minerva McGonagall's shriek, bringing her to the top of the marble staircase in time to see Mad-Eye Moody with his wand pointing at a snow-white ferret that was bouncing up and down on the stone floor.

Rinna had had the McGonagall Shriek directed at herself a few times in her life, and she almost, _almost_ felt sorry for Moody when the Deputy Headmistress squawked, "Moody, is that a _student_?"

That is, until he answered, "Yep."

Rinna quickly followed Professor McGonagall as the older witch ran down the steps and pointed her wand at the quivering little creature. With a _snap_, a disheveled Draco Malfoy appeared in a heap on the floor, blond hair in disarray, face red with humiliation. While McGonagall turned to harangue Moody, Rinna surreptitiously cast diagnostic charms over the boy as he got to his feet. She sighed in relief: no broken bones or serious injury, just bruises. And, by the look in his eyes, a bruised ego as well. Rinna sighed again, this time in frustration. Was Moody daft? This was no way to treat a student!

She didn't learn till later that Draco, Ron and Harry had exchanged words, and Draco had made disparaging remarks about Molly Weasley before Harry had insulted Narcissa Malfoy, prompting Draco to fire a curse at Harry while Harry's back was turned. While she agreed with Moody that it was a low, cowardly thing to do, she still took exception with how Mad-Eye had handled the situation.

The part of her brain that had gleefully taken on the role of "Professor" suggested that if young Malfoy could fire a curse at such close range and miss, then she or Moody or someone had better get these Fourth Years up to snuff with their aim. Then the "Godmother" portion of her mind mentally whapped her upside the head and huffily shrilled that shouldn't she be a bit perturbed that the snotty offspring of Lucius Malfoy had tried to curse her godson? "Brilliant!" she muttered. "I'm here only one day, and I'm already having arguments with myself!"

------ -----

Harry and Ron were still grinning at the memory of Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret when Hermione excused herself from the dinner table and made off for the library. Fred Weasley smoothly moved into the seat she had vacated and spoke softly to Harry and Ron.

"Had D.A.D.A. with the Jee-Em this afternoon," he said conspiratorially.

"The 'Jee-Em?'" Harry asked, confused.

George had taken the seat opposite his twin. "Yeah," he huffed impatiently, "the Jee-Em. The Jee-Em." At Harry and Ron's blank stares he rolled his eyes and whispered, "Your godmother…"

"Oh!" Realization dawned on the two younger boys. "The G.M.! I get it," Harry leaned forward. "Well?"

The older boys' eyes met. "Excellent," they summarized in unison.

"We're going to cover silent spells, and wandless magic," said George.

"And blood magic, and the Unforgivables," added Fred.

Lee Jordan, best friend of Fred and George, sat down across from Harry. "You talking 'bout Dunlevy's class?" The other two nodded. "Merlin, it's going to be brilliant! We've got to sit closer to the front, mates. I want to be able to watch those lips of hers move when she lectures." Lee's eyes became a little unfocused.

Fred leaned in and stage whispered, "Lee's a little bit sweet on her, I'm afraid."

Harry nearly choked on a bite of red potatoes. Ron slapped him heartily on the back while Lee looked at him curiously. "You all right, Harry?"

"Of course he is," Fred assured him, tossing Harry a wicked leer. "He's just a little sweet on her, too!" Harry began coughing again.

"Well, who could blame him?" Lee pointed out. "She's a red-head. I think red-headed women are dead sexy, don't you?"

George raked his hand through his own ginger hair and shook it out of his eyes. "_All_ red-heads are dead sexy," he pronounced.

By the time Harry had caught his breath, and the redness of his face had faded, the three Sixth Years were long gone.

----- -----

Footfalls echoed in the now-quiet hallways as Rinna began the last leg of her bedtime rounds. She wasn't expecting too much trouble on the first full day anyway; she knew from experience that the first day of classes tended to be stressful, exciting, and tiring. The students didn't usually start prowling about causing mischief until after the second or third day. Which was why she had volunteered for the first night of staff patrol. She snorted. _Let Sinistra and Sprout think they bamboozled me into taking first patrol,_ she thought. _I'll use their little deception to my advantage later._ And so, with a satisfied smirk and a little bit of a swagger, she made her way through the school.

She found herself stopping at a particular window that looked out onto the lake and the grounds. She reached into her robes and pulled out the letter that had come with the morning post, accompanied by a rose. Lighting her wand with a silent _Lumos_, she studied it again.

It wasn't a letter, exactly. It was a drawing. Of a spot she remembered well.

The pencil on parchment was a fair rendering of a moonrise over Hogwarts' lake, as seen from a particular vantage point in the air. The gibbous moon hung just above the hills, and spilled moonlight onto the water. She closed her eyes, and could see the real thing in her mind, with the light like liquid platinum on the lake's surface until a tendril from the giant squid broke the smooth sheet of moonlight into a thousand tiny flickers.

She opened her eyes, and looked again at the drawing. Scrawled on the bottom corner, in familiar writing, was: _Having trouble getting back to London. Have been sighted, I believe, and I have to lay low. To pass the time, I think of you, and how many times we basked in the moonlight and the stars in 'our spot' above the lake. _Seemingly as an afterthought, the word _over_ was scribbled at the very bottom.

She turned the parchment over.

_Rinna,_

_I have recently received an owl from Remus. _C_ongratulations on your new position at Hogwarts. I have no doubt that you will be a stellar teacher._

_Harry wrote me a letter telling me his scar hurt one morning last week. This comes on the heels of some strange rumors I have heard (which I dare not write here), and I am very concerned. I believe that Dumbledore, too, is reading the signs, as he not only got Mad-Eye out of retirement, but has hired you. I feel better knowing that you will be at Hogwarts with Harry. _

_It is ironic, perhaps, that a few nights ago I drew this picture (which I didn't really intend to give you but now it seems apropos), and now, when you get this letter, you will be almost at that very spot. I wonder if it is as beautiful as I remember it._

_Evidently I am out of danger for now, so I am on the move once more. Which is why I can send you this note, and I suppose you will recognize the message of the rose. I'm not sure where I am going, since my original plan was to come back to see you. Apparently you've managed to run away again…_

_Yours,_

_Sirius _

Melancholic. That was a good word for what she was feeling now. She looked up, out the window again, taking in a view she had seen many times, many years before, when she would sit in the window sill with her best friend and talk and giggle and dream. Now, in the quiet darkness, with the excitement and nerves of her first day teaching well behind her, Rinna felt as if all her breath had been stolen from her lungs as she realized that she had returned to the one place that held more memories of Lily and James, Remus, and Sirius, than any other spot on earth. Her heart quailed. _Sweet Merlin, what the hell was I thinking?_

She whirled around at the soft sound of a shoe scraping on stone. "I hope I didn't startle you, Arinna," the Headmaster said.

Rinna quickly put on a smile. "I was lost in thought, I'm afraid."

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "I often find myself in that situation when I walk around the castle. There are so many places that bring back a memory or two…"

"I hadn't really considered that. All the memories this old castle holds for me, I mean." She glanced out over the darkened grounds of the school. "I suspect I will be finding myself in bittersweet reverie quite often."

He considered her kindly. "And yet, it is the memories, be they joyful or poignant, that keep the ones we've lost alive in our hearts, is it not?"

Rinna turned to look out again, and the Headmaster joined her. They stood silently for several minutes before he spoke. "I wanted to congratulate you on an excellent first day."

"Thank you," she murmured.

He stepped away. "Goodnight, Arinna."

"Goodnight, Albus." Rinna remained at the window with her thoughts and reminiscences for a long time before retiring to her quarters.

* * *

The second day of classes had begun, and Rinna was pleased that her stomach no longer seemed tied in knots, making breakfast, and her morning classes, much more enjoyable. The mid-morning break afforded Rinna the opportunity she needed to obtain information from the Hogwarts Potions Master. She strolled into the dungeon classroom and looked around, literally spinning on her feet as she took in the changes. It certainly looked different from Slughorn's classroom. Well, as different as a dank dungeon could, given the limited decorating opportunities afforded by such a setting…

She stopped mid-turn when she caught the mordant look on the Potions Professor's face as he watched her from the desk in the front of the classroom. She studied him for a moment. "Hullo, Severus," she offered.

Severus Snape stood up and made his way around the desk to stand in front of it, stiffly. "Hello, Arinna. May I assist you in some way?" he asked politely.

"I hope so," she said, walking briskly to the front. She couldn't help but flick her attention to a desk in the front row on the far right side.

Snape's eyes followed the direction hers had gone, before he returned his gaze to her face. He smirked. "Waxing nostalgic, are we, Professor Dunlevy?"

His voice blurred her thoughts like a drop of oil smears ink on paper. She looked into his eyes, her face and voice devoid of expression. "I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about," she said smoothly. She held out a parchment in her hand. "I have the inventory of the potions store room, and I've marked off the ingredients I would like to use." Snape took it from her and glanced at it. "Did the Headmaster inform you of my little project?" she wondered.

"Only that you had one you'd be working on."

She nodded. "I'm wondering if you can tell me a reliable source for these ingredients, since they are not in the stores, or at least, not on the inventory." She watched as his lips twitched slightly in annoyance at her implication that he had a private storeroom.

She was right, of course.

He looked at the new piece of parchment she had given him, and his eyebrows rose. "Just a 'little project' you say, Arinna?" he murmured mockingly. He watched her lips quirk into an ironic half-grin. Turning quickly from her rather fascinating mouth, he grabbed the quill from his desk and began marking her list. "You'll want to get this, this and these," marking as he went, "at Fenwethers, and the rest of these you should find at Darklings & Grimm. Knockturn Alley. They have the fairest prices and the purest ingredients." He handed the list back to her. "That is what you wanted to know, isn't it?"

She looked up at him and smiled her thanks. "Yes, actually. You have saved me the trouble of wandering around Knockturn Alley comparing prices and discerning cheats. Thank you."

"If you want to go to the trouble of mentioning my name, I daresay you will find yourself with the proprietors themselves, and they will be disinclined to try to swindle you in any way."

Her smile widened. "Brilliant. And again, thank you." She turned to leave.

Snape took a few steps after her. "I read all your published articles. They were, no surprise to me, quite excellent."

She turned to look at him, a closed expression on her face. "I only published one article…"

Snape crossed his arms and eyed her shrewdly. "What I meant to say was: I read the one you published under your given name." He recognized the expression on her face from their school days. It was the one that she wore when she knew she was not going to like what was said next. "And I read the ones that came out earlier under your German and Chinese pseudonyms as well." He watched as she opened her mouth to contradict him, interrupting impatiently, "Please, Arinna, do not do me the discourtesy of denying my conclusions when I know I am correct. I understand completely why you did not use your real name, at least not until you thought you had it right."

She let out a long breath. "But I didn't have it right, apparently," she noted, a trace of bitterness coloring her words.

"Oh, but you did. The problem was that you were writing for idiots who wouldn't recognize innovative potions work if it bit them on their sorry arses."

Rinna made a rude noise. "That's what Dumbledore said. Only he didn't put it quite so, ah, colorfully."

"Well then, in this particular instance, I will agree with the old man." Another smirk threatened to turn up the corners of his mouth.

Curious, she asked, "How did you know, about the other articles I mean; how did you deduce they were mine?" Rinna was quiet as she waited for an answer, seeing that Snape was eyeing her astutely and appeared to be weighing how much he should say. She didn't want to press the issue; they had been having a surprisingly civil conversation up until now.

When he finally spoke, she was momentarily distracted by the rich, persuasive quality of his voice. Apparently Severus had been one of those lads whose voice had continued to mellow and deepen even past puberty, because she sure didn't remember it being that velvety when they had been in school…

"I wasn't your potions partner for four years for naught, I'll have you know," he said dryly. "I recognized your work."

"I see," she nodded, accepting the explanation as sufficient. Then mischief flashed in her eyes. "A case of familiarity not just breeding contempt, but recognition as well?"

Again he fixed her with a disconcerting gaze before deciding to throw caution to the wind. Certainly their interaction so far had been courteous and polite, but he had promised himself that if he ever was given the opportunity to speak to her again, he would say to her what he'd wanted to the day he graduated from Hogwarts.

"I don't think it was the familiarity that bred the contempt, you know. I believe it was your choice in lovers." He watched as storm clouds of anger darkened her visage, and felt a pang that the unusual accord they had found in the last few minutes would now be lost. _No matter,_ he told himself. He knew much better how to deal with her when she was in _this_ kind of mood, anyway.

"So, we are back to this, are we?" she spat furiously.

He bore into her with his black, hawk-like eyes. "I could not understand how you deigned to give yourself to that git in the first place, but I'd hoped you would outgrow him. You deserved far better, you know. And then, I found out that you'd agreed to marry him!" His voice dripped with condescension. "For a smart girl, you were an idiot when it came to your heart."

The look on her face and the tone in her voice was loaded with censure. "Are you quite through? Because you would do well, Snape, to avoid these extemporaneous speeches on subjects you know nothing about." She lifted her chin defiantly. "You do not know who or what I did or did not deserve. And you certainly never earned the right to have any say in what I did with my life or who I gave my heart to!"

"Merlin's balls!" Snape swore, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You are still in love with him, aren't you? Even after all he did?"

"Sirius Black did not murder anyone," she said with conviction.

Snape's eyes widened in fury. "You believe that codswollop the werewolf told you? Or did you hear it from Potter and his friends? Tell me, Arinna, do you believe it so you can salve your conscience for being in love with a murderer?"

Rinna shot him a look of pure malevolence. "Tell me, Severus, does the Dark Mark you took for your Lord still burn your forearm?" Her eyes glittered as he unconsciously rubbed his left arm. "I could easily hold _you_ in contempt for the decisions _you_ made as a young idiot!"

They stood mirroring each other, legs apart, hands on hips, glaring daggers for several long minutes. Finally, Rinna let her hands and head drop, and she heaved a sigh. "You say you can't understand the decisions I made, and I really cannot fathom the ones you did… but the thing is; they are in the past." She looked up again. "And I, for one, intend to keep them there. We are just going to have to agree to disagree, I suppose, if we are to work together as colleagues now."

Snape nodded slightly as his indignation drained away. "Not unlike our agreement when we worked together in potions class," he commented quietly.

A ghost of a smile crossed her face. "Excellent point," she conceded. She nodded to him, and turned to leave.

Once again he stopped her with his comment. "You once told me in a fit of pique… well, actually you said this on numerous occasions… but you told me that you were the best bloody potions partner I would ever have…"

She did not turn around, but her mouth crooked up at the memory. "I could be a bit arrogant at times," she said ruefully.

"Well," he drawled, his voice like honey fresh from the comb, "you were right."

She nodded again, accepting the figurative olive branch he offered, and slipped out of the classroom.

* * *

Rinna was beginning to think it had been unnecessary to talk to Harry about how they should act toward each other at school since she hadn't even said two words to him or his friends since arriving three days ago. Which was why she was lurking in the corridor outside the classrooms she and Moody had been assigned, nodding at students and watching keenly for any sign of her godson or his sidekicks. She had just about given up, thinking they must have used one of the side corridors, when she thought she heard Ron's voice.

"He really knows his stuff, Moody, doesn't he? When he did _Avada Kedavra_, the way that spider just _died_, just snuffed it right—" Ron's comments ended abruptly, and Rinna saw why; the look on Harry's face as they had come around the corner from a side hallway nearly broke her heart.

"Harry?" she said gently, "Are you all right?"

"Professor Moody just showed us the Unforgivable Curses," Hermione informed her.

Rinna looked carefully at Ron and Hermione. "All of them?" she asked, comprehending the reason for Harry's bleak expression. They nodded. She put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Harry."

Her words were weighted with meaning. Harry looked up at her, and saw sympathy in her face. "Have you ever seen it, Rinna? The _Avada Kedavra_?" he half-whispered.

His godmother winced, as if a pain had jabbed through her skull. "Yes," she breathed. "More times than I want to remember."

Hermione looked at Ron. She felt like they were intruding on a private moment.

Harry looked down at the floor. _Of course. Sirius said her parents were murdered… She must have seen it then._

Rinna's next words were in a tight, controlled voice. "The only good thing I can say about the Killing Curse, as oxymoronic as that sounds, is that its effect is instantaneous." She watched Harry's reaction to her comment. _At least Lily's and James' suffering had been brief_. "Which is why, I suppose, someone invented the _Cruciatus_; because the _Avada_ didn't cause enough torment." Her tone was ironic.

Harry looked at his two companions. "He…" His voice faltered.

"He showed us that one, too," Hermione finished for him. "The look on poor Neville's face…"

Rinna looked at her sharply. "Neville?"

"Neville Longbottom, he's in our class," Ron explained.

"Is Neville all right?" Rinna asked with concern.

Ron looked at the others, who shrugged. "Dunno," he said. "Moody came and took him to his office."

Harry thought that Rinna looked awfully concerned for a kid she didn't know. Then he remembered what Sirius had said about her being very compassionate and empathetic.

Rinna felt her heart go out to Neville. Of course, none of his schoolmates would know why Moody's demonstration of the _Cruciatus_ was so upsetting to him, but his mother Alice had been one of Rinna's good friends at Hogwarts. Rinna knew all about the torture to insanity of the Longbottoms by Death Eaters, effectively leaving Neville orphaned. She felt a somewhat irrational surge of anger toward Mad-Eye Moody. _Some of these children lose their innocence so early these days… couldn't he have let Neville and Harry hold on to theirs just a little bit longer? _

"Rinna?" Harry said tentatively as he watched a scowl take over her face. "What's wrong?"

Sighing heavily, Rinna replied, "Only that there is so much evil that people invent curses such as these. And because of that, Hogwarts has to teach children Defense Against the Dark Arts." She attempted a smile. "I'd much rather be teaching flying, if I had my druthers."

The Trio smiled weakly at her comment. "Are you lot heading to the Great Hall for dinner?" Rinna changed the subject. At their nods she asked, "May I join you?" Again, they nodded, and the four began their journey in silence.

"Oh, hey," Harry suddenly said, "I've been meaning to ask you: what did Siri…uh, Snuffles have to say?" To his amazement, his godmother blushed furiously. "Uh, I mean, uh, you don't have to say anything if it was private, you know," Harry backpedaled.

"Usually, private letters _are_ private, you know," she reproved. "But I will at least tell you that he is fine, he's safe, and he's worried about you since you sent him that letter about your scar." _I will **not** tell you how fast my heart beats every time I re-read it, or how my heart aches when I look at that drawing…_

They had reached the Great Hall. Harry noticed a subtle shift in Rinna's demeanor. "Well, you three," she said briskly, "you know where my office is… don't be strangers." And with a little nod, she moved toward the Staff Table. As Harry sat down with his friends, he realized what he had seen was Rinna's change from Godmother to Professor. So far, he liked both personas.

* * *

It really came as no surprise to Rinna that she should find herself standing on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch after dark that night, her Silver Dart in her hand and a lightweight flying cloak on her shoulders. After all, sneaking out for late-night flying had been one of the ways she had alleviated stress all those years ago. And now that she was back at Hogwarts, she found herself slipping into some old Hogwarts-y habits.

She could have blamed her current itch to fly over Hogwarts' lake at breakneck speed on a need to blow off steam over her recent disturbing conversation about the Killing and _Cruciatus_ Curses, or on the stress of her first few days of a new teaching job. Certainly, those were contributing factors. But if she was honest with herself, the overwhelming reason she was there, straddling her broom, aching to fly, was a certain image she couldn't get out of her head. _Damn you, Sirius! And damn your bloody drawing, too._

She circled around the lake before coming to a stop at a particular location above the water. She was not shocked in the least that she found the spot exactly without even trying; it had been instinctual. She hovered, taking in the view, and sighed.

----- -----

Sirius and Rinna stood side by side on the grassy pitch and surveyed the crisp December night sky. "The gibbous moon will be rising in a couple of hours," Sirius commented. "We don't want to miss that."

She nodded in agreement. She didn't question how he knew this. She was beginning to be attuned to the moon's cycle as well. _I guess that's what happens when you are friends with a werewolf_. She felt him drape the heavy flying cloak over her shoulders.

He turned to her. "Are you ready?" He was rewarded with her happy grin and a nod. "Good. Try and keep up, Dunlevy!" he challenged as he leapt on his broom and shot into the sky. He grinned as he heard her indignant shout, and began an intricate series of maneuvers for her to copy. He was in his element, and once again appreciated the good fortune that she shared his love of flying.

They were rather well matched, both Chasers, and their late-night clandestine flying sessions had certainly improved both their games. Lately, however, these sessions had changed; they seemed less like a competition and more like a dance as the two became accustomed to each other's moves and began to fly in synchrony rather than in mimicry. That was what was happening now. She had anticipated his actions and caught up to him, so they moved together through the sky. He wondered what it would be like to hold her in his arms and twirl her around a dance floor.

He pulled to a stop and smiled at her. The cool air was tingeing her cheeks and nose pink, and her breath came out in little puffs of steam. He thought she looked completely, utterly, achingly beautiful.

"That felt like dancing!" she laughed.

He looked at her in amazement. "I was just thinking that!"

She leaned over and tapped his forehead. "You know what they say, Blackie; great minds think alike!"

"Do you dance?" he wondered.

She snorted. "Really, Blackie. I come from a fine wizarding family, as you well know. Which means I was forced to go to all the classes on the social graces that you attended in your childhood."

"But that doesn't mean that you can dance," he retorted. "You could have two left feet." Somehow, he doubted it, though.

She smirked at him. "I guess you will have to wait and see. That could certainly be a way to occupy our evenings once it grows too cold to fly."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you implying, Miss Dunlevy, that you want to spend more of your evenings with me?"

"Goodness, Mr. Black, you must be very thick-headed if you haven't figured that out by now!"

"I may be thick-headed, but I can out-fly you any time I want!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!" And he was off, with her right on his tail. And so the flirtation continued for quite some time until Sirius saw the telltale glow on the horizon that indicated the imminent moonrise. He signaled her to land. He wanted her in his arms for this.

She climbed onto his broom and settled herself in front of him comfortably, leaning her head onto his shoulder and tucking the cloak snugly around her. He reached his hands around her and kicked off the ground. Slowly they glided to their spot above the lake and watched the moon rise above the hills to spill liquid silver onto the lake water below. From his vantage point, just behind and to her right, he could see the corner of her lips turn up in delight.

He leaned forward to speak in her ear. "You look beautiful tonight, Rinna." She blushed, and as she turned her head to him, his lips brushed her cheek.

She shivered as the biting breeze blew across her exertion-heated face. Sirius used one hand to lift the hood of her cloak and placed it over her head. He did the same with his own, and then tucked her head under his chin as he pressed her close to him. She closed her eyes and reveled in his warmth.

"Look," he whispered, and she opened her eyes to see the giant squid making ripples in the water. The smooth sheet of liquid moonlight was shattered into a myriad of sparkling shards that winked below them. She sighed.

"Sirius," she said softly.

He jerked his head from the lake below to look at her. "Yes, Rinna?" he answered breathlessly.

She smiled. "I can't think of any place else I'd rather be right now than here, with you."

----- -----

Rinna pulled the letter from Sirius out from her cloak, and turned it over. She compared the drawing to the view in front of her. _He remembered it remarkably well._

Turning it over once more, she re-read his letter. _I wonder if it is as beautiful as I remember it. _She closed her eyes and felt a hollow ache in her chest. _No, Sirius, it is not… not without you here with me…_

She stared out over the lake for a long time, pondering the words of his letter. He was still in too much danger, and how long could he go on this way? He wasn't getting proper rest, or proper nutrition, she'd wager. The constant stress of hiding and running must certainly be taking its toll on him by now. She hated to think of the conditions he was living in.

If anyone had enjoyed the little niceties that moderate wealth could afford, it had been Sirius Black. (Fortunately, he had found favor with one of his uncles who'd left him a sizeable inheritance, which became his only source of money once he was disinherited from the House of Black.) She smiled at the memory of his penchant for expensive Egyptian cotton sheets and goose-down comforters. And the man had dressed well. Not in the snobby way of most Purebloods, but his clothing had been of the finest quality, albeit more often than not artfully untucked and casual. He had always looked good, but never like he'd put any effort into his appearance…

_He could look good again,_ she thought, _if he was in the proper circumstances. As in, not on the lam, properly fed, decently clothed, and clean-shaven. If someone just gave him a little tender, loving care… _

She stopped her thoughts in their tracks. There was really no point in letting her mind drift any farther into _that_ fantasy. She was here, way up north at Hogwarts now, and besides, it's not like she could harbor a fugitive in her quarters or anything… But… she could provide a place for him at her house. He and Remus would be good for each other: Remus could keep him out of trouble, and Sirius could keep Remus company on the full moon. She was sure Remus wouldn't object, and in fact he'd probably enjoy thumbing his nose at the Ministry in this way!

A grin of satisfaction began to trace itself across her face. This was perfect! She made up her mind that this Saturday she would go home and ask Remus to find Sirius and give him a room at her house.

* * *

The shaggy large dog lay curled up under a bush in the park, watching people pass by with interest. Finally, he caught a familiar scent, and his ears pricked up. A tall, sandy-haired man was walking toward him, a bag of groceries in one arm. The man whistled and called softly, "Where are you, boy?" and patted his leg. The dog pulled himself up with a long stretch of his back legs, and let out a gentle _woof_.

"Ah, there you are! Been waiting long?" The dog cocked his head, tongue lolling in a canine grin, causing the man to smile. "Sorry about that. I needed to stock up on victuals." The dog barked his approval, and settled in a trot by the man's left leg.

Remus Lupin smiled, and continued his one-way conversation as the two walked. "I was glad to get your letter, Padfoot. I was concerned when I hadn't heard from you. And I always wonder if my letters will reach you. Apparently the last one did." He shifted the bag to his other arm. "I take it you have heard nothing else on that so-called lead?" The dog next to him growled.

They had entered a little neighborhood. "We're almost there, old friend. You are welcome to stay. I think I will be able to convince the landlady to allow me to keep a mangy old mutt here." Remus grinned at his private joke. They ambled up the stoop of a cozy house, and Remus took down the wards and unlocked the door.

Remus walked to the kitchen to put the groceries on the counter, and noted the dog did not follow. He stepped back out into the living room and found Sirius Black, looking bedraggled and peering around the room with interest.

Sirius turned to him and said evenly, "This is Rinna's house, isn't it?"

Remus nodded. "She convinced me to stay here and take care of the place while she's at Hogwarts," he explained. He took Sirius' arm and led him to the kitchen, sitting him at the table. Remus put away food as he continued, "She needed a caretaker, and I needed a place to stay. So, here I am, the steward of the Manor."

"Moony, does she know I'm here?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

"Well, not exactly. But we'll convince her that it is a good idea," Remus said with confidence.

Sirius lifted an eyebrow at his old friend. "And how, precisely, are we going to persuade your 'landlady' of that?"

Remus opened his arms wide. "Why with Marauder charm, of course! And a little fast talking, in the form of an owl that will go out tomorrow morning." He grinned a charming smile, mischief flashing in his eyes. "She won't be able to resist the two of us; we'll bowl her over with our brilliant arguments!"

Sirius looked skeptical. "Right. And just what are our brilliant arguments, exactly?"

"Dinner first. Details later," Remus declared firmly as he set a pot on the stove to boil.

_Something about skipping meals involuntarily makes a man appreciate good home-cooked food_, reflected Sirius after dinner as he watched Remus place some parchment and a quill on the table. Unfortunately, he was now so tired that he was unable to focus on what Remus was saying. "Moony, I'm afraid I'm knackered, and I'm not much help. You are going to have to mastermind this little plot of yours on your own. Sorry."

"Of course!" said Remus, immediately contrite. "I should have realized… here, let me show you to your room."

He took Sirius down the hall to the first guest room, which had a bath adjoining to the room Remus was using. "Sleep yourself out, Padfoot. Tomorrow is Saturday, and I don't have to work, so once I take the letter to the Owl Post, I plan on relaxing here until you wake."

"Thanks, mate!" Sirius yawned hugely. "I appreciate this, you know."

"I know what it is like to be homeless, Sirius," Remus said softly. He made to leave, but turned back at the door. "And by the way, don't use the shower in the bath here. The drain is clogged, and I haven't had a chance to magic it clear yet. You'll need to use the one in the master bath."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at that, but merely shrugged and said, "Right." He kicked off his shoes, and fell onto the bed, asleep before his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Saturday dawned over Hogwarts, clear and beautiful, with the cool morning air hinting that the warmth of summer would soon give way to autumn. Unfortunately, Professor Dunlevy missed it by several hours. She pulled herself from her bed with a groan, and realized that it was going to take more than a few days at school to rid her of her late-morning tendencies… With a jolt she remembered her resolution from the night on the lake, and began to ready herself in a frenzy.

Rinna stepped out of the fireplace into her living room and sensed that the house was locked and warded from the outside. _Damn! Remus has left already._ Annoyed that she had missed him, she moved across the living room to the small antique desk in the corner, intent on writing him a note explaining her mad plan.

As she searched for a working ball pen, she became aware of a sound encroaching on her consciousness. _Is that water running?_ She began to follow the sound, moving down the hallway toward her bedroom. It was coming from her shower, a fact she confirmed as she stepped into her room.

Of course! She'd forgotten to tell Remus about the faulty drain in the guest bathroom, and he was probably using the other shower until he could get it fixed. _No, wait. If the house is warded from the outside, only Remus or I can do that. He **must** be gone. _And if that was the case, then _who_ was in her shower? In a flash, her wand was in her hand.

She crept from her bedroom into the steamy bathroom. She heard the running water and sounds of splashing coming from behind the plastic curtain in the alcove of her walk-in shower. Even though common sense told her that none of the wards to her house had been disturbed, a prickling sixth sense told her this was _definitely_ not Remus in her shower.

She held out her wand, and stepped to the alcove. She pushed her wand into the curtain, indenting it as she went, and said in a low and dangerous voice, "Don't move."

The figure behind the curtain froze for a moment, before whipping the shower curtain aside, obstructing her wand arm by entangling it as he did so. Rinna reacted swiftly by grabbing his throat with her other hand even as she freed her wand. She felt the intruder lose his balance as he slipped on the slick tiles, so Rinna moved and allowed the intruder's momentum to carry him further forward as he pitched out of the shower. He grabbed her arm in an attempt to right himself, but it was too late. Rinna was pulled down with the stranger and landed on the floor on top of him. She wrenched her wand free and placed it at his throat even as she registered who he was.

Startled blue eyes peered into wide green ones that were mere inches away as the two of them took several long seconds to comprehend their predicament.

"Bloody effing hell, Sirius! What are you doing?" She screamed at him as she moved the wand tip away from his neck slightly.

A cocky grin spread across Sirius' face as he lifted his head from the floor and glanced down to appraise the situation. "Well," he drawled, as he looked back up into her eyes, "at the moment, having about four or five of my wildest fantasies fulfilled…"

As Rinna looked down, she realized that she was straddling Sirius. Straddling a very naked Sirius. A very naked and wet Sirius… She gulped as she realized she was spending far more time looking down at him than propriety allowed, so she quickly returned to his face. He was grinning at her, the naked prat; a sexy quirky grin that no man who'd been discovered uninvited and naked in someone's home should have the right to wear. The word "naked" seemed to be reverberating through her head, and somehow she had suddenly seemed to develop a rather heightened awareness of Sirius' lack of clothing and the water droplets that clung, glistening, to his naked…er, unclothed body.

The pain of landing and knocking his head on the bathroom floor had long since faded, replaced with the warmth of the woman of his dreams lying on top of him in a very intimate manner. Although he knew he was damned lucky he hadn't been hexed into next Tuesday, he couldn't help but grin at the hilarity of the situation he and Rinna had found themselves in. And when he realized that she was not making any move to get off of him, his grin grew even cockier.

Rinna noted their faces were still very close, his warm breath brushing against her lips, and a strange paralysis seized her, making it impossible for her to get up from him. She couldn't seem to look away from his eyes, eyes the color of the sea in some tropical paradise, droplets still clinging to his lashes… she was drowning in the ocean of his blue, blue eyes…

Sirius reached a hand up and brushed his fingertips gently across her brow and down her cheek. _All right, Black. Surely you haven't forgotten what to do when your woman is draped on top of you and is making no effort to remove herself from the situation…_ The grin on his face softened as he held her gaze and coaxingly pulled her chin toward his mouth. "Rinna… I've missed you," he breathed.

And then, their lips met.

* * *

**Author Note: When Ron is describing Moody's demonstration of the _Avada Kedavra_, his quote is directly from JKR's _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_ Chapter 14 "The Unforgivable Curses"**

**Talk about your long chapters… well, you KNOW a lot happens in your first week back at school. I sure would love to hear from you about what you thought of this chapter, especially those who have been clamoring for more Sirius, damn it! (Not naming any names, cough –Kerichi- cough) **

**I thank all the wonderful people who left reviews for my last chapter: SJ, Cat, BlckAmthystStar, Coryna, Kerichi, and kez. Extra hugs and kisses to you! And, of course, big ups to my wonderful Beta, Lorett. If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't have gotten a glimpse of Rinna and naked Sirius on the bathroom floor until next chapter.**

21


	16. Lions and Snakes

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 16: Lions and Snakes**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe. If I did, I'd probably be writing this from my vacation home in Hawaii, while getting a massage…while Alan Rickman reads poetry to me in his Snape voice. Sigh. Any characters, places, situations, or spells that you don't find in her fabulous books, well now, they belong to me!

* * *

**

Sensations exploded like fireworks in Rinna's brain, disrupting all rational thought. One second her mind had been attempting to warn her about something… what was it... _Happening too fast…_ and the next moment all the voice in her head could say was: _Oh. My. Stars… _

Warm pressure against her lips, a hand slipping into her hair at the base of her neck, another hand traveling up her spine between her shoulder blades: it all felt so unbelievably right, so wonderfully sweet, like candy floss melting on her tongue, dissolving away the reservations lurking in the back of her mind… She found herself returning the kiss ardently, hungrily, not minding his facial hair and rather enjoying the sensations of his lips moving on hers, and his hands running through her hair and over her back…

Sirius' heart jumped frantically in his chest when he felt Rinna respond to the kiss, and when she fisted her hands in his hair, well, he thought he might just black out from the sensations being generated from head to toe. Considering he had spent more than a decade in isolation, bereft of human touch for so long, all the tactile input he was now experiencing was intoxicating, almost overwhelming, and _amazing_…

So intent was she in continuing this pleasurable activity, and so purposeful was she at ignoring the little warning thought scrabbling in her mind, that Rinna missed the subtle shift in magic as the wards surrounding her house were lowered.

Remus entered the house, noting how quiet it was. _Sirius must really be sleeping himself out_, he thought as he ambled to the guest room to check on his friend. The bed was empty. Remus frowned, and listened for sounds of activity. _Maybe he's taking a shower?_ There was no sound of running water.

Growing concerned, Remus made his way up the hallway to the master bedroom. "Sirius? Where are you, mate?"

The sound of Remus' voice pierced the desire-induced haze in Rinna's head. She placed her palms on the floor on either side of Sirius' head and wrenched herself away from him, staring down at him with wild eyes. _Sweet Mother of Morganna! You haven't even had a rational conversation with this man in thirteen years and you are snogging him like a lovesick schoolgirl… on your bathroom floor? While he's starkers? What in the hell are you thinking?_

"Sirius?" Remus' voice was coming closer.

Green and blue eyes stared at each other, wide in panic at nearly being caught, and for a millisecond, the two of them remained frozen on the floor. Then Rinna scrambled off of Sirius with alacrity, grabbed a towel from the cabinet and threw it at him as she hastily exited into the bedroom.

"Siri—" Remus entered the master bedroom and did not find the person he was expecting there. "--us…Oh great bleeding hell!"

Rinna stopped, crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow dauntingly. "Indeed," she replied archly.

"What are you doing here?" _Whoops. Wrong thing to say, Lupin._

Rinna stood with her hands on her hips and her eyes snapping, a rather vexed expression on her face. "Last time I checked, this was MY house! You were expecting someone else?"

It had been a while since Remus Lupin had had to think this fast on his feet. He had to figure out how much she knew… "Look, Rinna, I can explain… hang on, why is your shirt all wet?"

Rinna's face turned crimson. "I was… I fell… gah! Stop trying to change the subject, Remus! I suggest you enlighten me as to why I came home to find an escapee, the wizarding world's most wanted man I might add, showering in my bathroom!"

_So she found Sirius in the shower, and her clothing is rather damp… this is interesting._ Remus' eyebrows raised, and he suppressed a smile. "Well, you see, Rinna," he said ingenuously, "the shower drain in the guest bath is clogged…"

Sirius entered from the bathroom, amazed at Remus' audacity. Had the man forgotten that Rinna was no slouch at wandless hexes? "Right, then. I believe I need to scrounge a change of clothes, Moony."

Rinna turned and saw said wanted man, towel wrapped around his waist, looking amused. Her gaze snapped back to Remus as he turned to comply with the request. "Hold it right there, both of you!" Rinna barked in a tone that brooked no argument. "You have some explaining to do. And if there ever was a time to pour on that Marauder charm, this is it."

Remus turned back to her and put on his best Marauder smile. "Certainly. Shall we all sit here on the bed?" He glanced at Sirius. "You don't mind having this discussion dressed only in a towel, do you, Padfoot?"

Sirius pretended to look thoughtful. "Well, Moony, it does put me at a distinct disadvantage…" He brightened. "We could level the playing field, though. I'll just go get two more towels…" He made like he was going to step back into the bathroom.

Rinna let loose a rather exasperated snort and rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll be in the kitchen." She smirked. "Hexing…er, I mean, _fixing_ some tea…" Her words dangled ominously for a moment before she stalked to the bedroom door. As she passed Remus she said, "And I said 'Marauder _charm_,' not 'Marauder _smarm_,' you dolt."

As she moved down the hall she heard Sirius quip, "You used to say there was no difference, you know!"

----- -----

Rinna had set out the cups, poured out the tea, and had just placed the teapot on the table when the two men walked into the kitchen. She smirked inwardly at their tactical stance: side-by-side, shoulders touching, their most captivating smiles in place. Clearly they felt that she had the upper hand in the situation. She was flattered; after all, they had the advantage of numbers. Was she really _that_ formidable? She hoped so. She pulled out a chair and sat down, arms crossed, looking from one man to the other. "You may begin the song and dance now," she suggested with an arched brow.

Again she appreciated their strategy; they split up and one sat on either side of her. She would not be able to fix both of them with a withering glare, or a well placed hex, at the same time. _Hang on, why am I thinking of this in terms of a battle? We are on the same side, after all. They just don't know it yet._

Rinna kept a cool, impassive expression on her face as she listened politely to Remus' rather smooth account. Remus was thankful that he'd already written it out in the Owl he'd sent her, because the story rolled off his tongue with ease now. He explained how he'd gotten a letter from Sirius, detailing the danger he'd been in, and wrote back asking Sirius to return to London, promising to help find him someplace safe to stay and lay low. Remus had been intending to write Rinna and request she allow him to harbor Sirius, but his first week at his new job had been rather hectic, and he'd had no time to Owl her, nor did he know if Sirius had actually gotten his letter and when or if he'd even show up. He'd walked through the park he'd told his friend to meet him in at the end of each workday in hopes of meeting him, which finally happened last night. The Owl went to Rinna this morning.

Rinna took in a deep breath when Remus had ended. "So… how long exactly have you been planning this little conspiracy of yours?" she asked.

Remus glanced at Sirius, trying to determine if the other man could gauge Rinna's reaction at all. Sirius shook his head with a small frown. Remus was full of misgivings now; he'd been sure that his glib explanation and the absolute sense of the plan would sway Rinna to their cause. "Well, since the evening after you left for Hogwarts, actually," he said uneasily.

Both men were startled when Rinna brought her hand down on the table with a loud smack. "Damn it, Remus!" she cried. "I can't believe you came up with this before I did! I thought I was absolutely brilliant the other night when this very scheme popped into my head!" Remus and Sirius appeared rather gobsmacked as she looked from one to the other, a wily smile creeping across her face. "And when I come here to divulge my incredible plan I find that not only have the two of you already come up with it, but you've executed it as well. You've taken the wind right out of my sails!"

Sirius recovered first. He let out a bark of laughter. Remus continued to stare at Rinna, shaking his head slightly, as if he were trying to sort out his thoughts. "You, you, you conniving witch… you let us believe you were upset…" Remus spluttered.

"Oh Remy, don't you remember? Toying with you Marauders has always given me such pleasure." Her eyes glinted mischievously over the rim of her teacup. "Besides, it's fair payback for the cheek you two gave me earlier in my room."

Remus narrowed his eyes and frowned at her, and sipped his tea while he regained his composure. It didn't take long before he joined in the chuckling of his tablemates.

Sirius had stayed out of the conversation until now, recognizing that it was between Rinna and Remus and their original agreement of use of the house. "Rinna," he said with concern, "are you sure you don't mind me staying here? You are, technically, breaking the law, and probably jeopardizing your new job…"

She regarded him solemnly. "I want to help you stay safe until your name is cleared. I've been very worried about you, Sirius."

He felt a twinge in his chest at her words and smiled. If she was worried about him, that meant that she cared.

Remus cleared his throat as he felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere in the kitchen. "Well, I see that my work here is done!" He pushed back his chair and stood up. "I'll just leave you two now. I'm sure you have a lot to, uh, discuss." Remus beat a hasty retreat out of the kitchen, and an awkward silence descended on the two remaining occupants.

A very tense, awkward silence.

----- -----

Rinna hadn't really considered that if she provided Sirius a place to stay, she would, as a matter of course, have to engage in some kind of interaction with him. She hadn't considered that, had she? She became uncomfortably aware that somewhere deep in her mind she had not only considered it, but had been gleeful at the thought. _Face it, Rinna. You didn't come up with this plan just to be kind to a man unjustly accused and the victim of a miscarriage of justice. You wanted to have an excuse to see him again._

Her musings were interrupted. "Can I assume by your response just now that you're not averse to feeling things for me anymore?" His voice was earnest and sincere, but held a trace of cockiness engendered by recently having a woman he found very attractive return his kiss wholeheartedly.

Her lips quirked a bit. "I've spent the last few weeks 'processing my feelings' as Dorrie calls it—it's a Muggle term," she sighed, and added quietly, "Your roses had the intended effect, I think." She smiled fondly. "They called to mind some very good feelings…" The silence descended again, but not quite so strained this time.

Sirius looked at her as she stared into her teacup. She looked good; she had obviously kept herself fit. Certainly not the skinny girl from school; a tendency toward overwork, hours of Quidditch practice and a habit of letting off steam through physical exercise had contributed to that, and later, when she was working for the Order, she often didn't eat out of nerves. But now, she seemed somehow… softer.

He saw her look at him, and he dropped his eyes to the table. He wondered what she was seeing. He knew that he was now skinny, atrophied of muscle and he had become all hard lines and angles. What would she find attractive about him now? He'd been an idiot for being so forward with her back there in the lavatory. Sure, she'd been surprised, swept away in the moment as he had been, but was that what she had really wanted?

Sirius took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, about what happened in the bathroom. Well, not sorry, exactly…" he saw her cheeks turn a little pink, "because it was a ruddy brilliant snog," and her face flushed a deeper shade, "but... I shouldn't have kissed you; not without having a clear idea on whether or not you want to give this a go."

Rinna wrapped her hands around her teacup and once again stared at the amber liquid, and sighed. "You talk about 'giving this a go' like it is just some simple thing, like there is no painful history between us! You don't know me anymore. You don't know if this is even a good idea. We need to talk first..."

"Isn't that what we are doing right now? I for one DO think this is a good idea. Look at what just happened in there, Rinna! You cannot deny that we still have incredible chemistry!"

"But is incredible chemistry enough to assuage the hurts of the past, Sirius?"

His eyes were smoldering, conveying not just carnal desire, but a hopeful yearning as well. Those cerulean eyes tugged at her heart. She had to close her own against them.

"The past doesn't matter anymore, Rinna," Sirius said firmly, taking her hand in his.

But it did; yet what mattered more was being honest with him now, for she had suffered a harsh lesson when she had concealed the truth from him before. If she had been forthright then, everything might have turned out so differently… she had to speak; Sirius had the right to know the truth about the woman he thought he wanted.

Without opening her eyes, for she knew if she looked into his amazing blue eyes now she would lose all nerve, she spoke, "I need to tell you something first. About the ten years I spent away…"

Sirius did not let go of her hand. "Remus told me somewhat about it, when I first returned," he began.

"Remus does not know all of it, Sirius," Rinna interrupted a bit sharply. She opened her eyes now, and studied his face. She saw concern, longing, and apprehension. Her resolve wavered for just a moment, fear that he would turn away when he heard her confession gripped her for one split-second. And then it passed; she knew that she must say it now, even if it meant losing him. She gently pulled her hand from his.

"I'm probably closer to the person you thought I'd become than the girl you knew," Rinna said resignedly.

Sirius looked at her, perplexed. "What do you mean?"

"I spent much of my ten years abroad studying ancient and dark magic. One doesn't spend that much time immersed in it without it tainting one's soul in some way."

"What are you telling me, Rinna? That you've practiced Dark Arts?" Sirius' voice was thick with trepidation.

Rinna laughed cynically. "Not to worry, Sirius: I haven't turned into one of those girls your mum would have been ecstatic to have you bring home." She gave him a sardonic little half-grin.

He gave her a measuring look, well aware that she had not directly answered his question. But was her answer sufficient? _You've got to start trusting her again sometime…_ He filled his lungs, then released the air through his mouth. "You never kept secret from me the darkness you harbored inside," he said in a low voice, "nor did I from you. Even when such secrets could have torn us apart."

She nodded. "I could tell you anything, because I knew you were a child marked by shadows, like me," she murmured.

"But it didn't tear us apart, Rinna; it made us stronger. And now, it is obvious that we both conceal more darkness than before." He appropriated her attention with his blazing eyes. Unable to bear the intensity of his look any longer, Rinna dropped her gaze to her lap. "You or I could let that prevent us from having any kind of relationship again, or…" he trailed off.

The silence was pregnant with implications. Finally, Rinna looked back up. "Why, Sirius? Why do you want to have anything to do with me?"

"Rinna, every day I was in Azkaban…" He stopped and ran his hand through his hair, making her heart ache at the familiarity of the gesture. "…not a day went by that I didn't think of you."

She studied him keenly. "I can imagine what kind of thoughts they must have been, then."

"What are you saying?"

"Come on, Sirius. Any feelings or thoughts you had of me must have been tinged with less than favorable emotions or the Dementors would have stripped them from you."

Sirius got up and paced agitatedly around the kitchen. "Do you know how I survived there? How I kept from going insane in that place?" he asked vehemently. He turned to look at Rinna. "Do you?" his voice grew louder.

Her eyes were wide with consternation. "Tell me," she whispered as she stood and backed up to the counter.

"Three things saved me, Rinna." He held three fingers up in emphasis. "The first was maintaining my Animagus form most of the time. The second was the knowledge that I was innocent and unjustly imprisoned." He snorted. "Not exactly a happy thought, that, so the Dementors were kept at bay." He glanced at her. He saw sadness and horror written on her face.

"And the third?" she asked, her voice soft and breaking.

Sirius let out a sigh, and ran his hands through his hair again. "The third was the fear that maybe you had told me the truth that day, and that you really didn't love me." He heard her sharp intake of breath. "I think that was really the main thing that kept me sane; thinking about you over and over and alternating between anger and despair over you. It made me strong. It made me determined to survive so I could someday find out the truth." He looked at her with haunted eyes.

"That I had betrayed you?" she whispered, tears running down her cheeks.

He crossed to her and stood very close. "I'd hoped to find that you hadn't stopped loving me," he said simply. He held her gaze, searching for the answer he was looking for in the depths of her eyes.

Rinna could not look away. She wanted more than anything to rush into his arms and hold him and tell him that she hadn't, she hadn't stopped loving him; but she knew that in all fairness, there were things she needed to say, things he needed to hear, before she could tell him that. She quickly dashed the tears from her face.

"You say that your memories and thoughts of me kept you sane," she said softly, trying to keep her look impassive. He nodded. "It was thoughts of you, of what I'd thought I'd done to you, that drove me mad, that sent me to St. Mungo's."

"Rinna…" Sirius' voice cracked.

"How do we get over something like this?" she asked him desperately. "_Can_ we, even?"

Sirius reached for her hand, and said very gravely, "I don't know. But by all that is holy, Rinna, I sure want to try."

Rinna's breath caught in her throat, and she closed her eyes, as if she couldn't quite believe what she heard. Sirius tugged at her hand and tentatively pulled her in toward him. His heart soared when she stepped forward at his invitation and he took her and tucked her in to his chest, her head under his chin, and tenderly wrapped his arms around her.

Rinna sighed as her hands encircled his waist, wrists crossing at the small of his back. She pressed her cheek against his chest and became aware of the sound of his heart. Rinna felt an odd, almost painful, catch under her ribs, as if her heart, somehow sensing that it was off-rhythm, had momentarily paused… and then it began beating again, this time in a new tempo that felt right and filled her being with life and hope.

Her mind, which for years had been at odds with her heart, could no longer remain silent in the midst of all this. _He is my weakness, plain and simple, and here he is again... _and for now, she realized she wanted to be weak, she yearned to give in to what they both wanted... because although he was her weakness, his love had been, those years ago, what had made her strong. _Give in. Let him back in. Stop the hurting. Learn to trust him again. You need him. Let him in..._

"Blackie," she breathed against his heart, "I want to try, too."

Sirius' arms tightened around her in reaction to her words. She clasped him tightly in return before she pulled away slightly to tilt her head and look up at him. His hands framed her face as he studied it; he memorized it and imposed the images over the recollections of her face as a girl and as a young woman. She hadn't changed much; there were a few lines crinkled at the corners of her eyes, and near the edges of her mouth. He touched her hair, and trailed one hand along her jaw line as he looked into her eyes…

He knew she would see the same things in his that he saw in hers: pain, tragedy, despair. And yet, he saw something flicker in the verdant depths of her eyes, something that had been missing at their other encounters, and it grew, like a flame spreading out on a log, licking away at the sadness and damage. _Hope_.

His thumb caressed her chin, and she lifted it up just as he lowered his head. He heard her breath hitch as his lips ghosted over hers, sensing her warmth, feeling her mouth move as she whispered, "I have never stopped loving you."

"Ruby…" His voice was choked with emotion, and his words would not come out. Demonstration would have to suffice to communicate the effect her declaration had on him. He pulled her chin toward him as his other hand hooked around her waist and drew her body against his. Then he kissed her tenderly, lovingly, longingly until the ache in his chest dissolved away, replaced by the knowledge: _she loves me._

----- -----

Remus looked up from his book as Sirius crossed the back porch to throw himself onto a chaise lounge, tucking his arms behind his head before letting out a long, self-satisfied sigh. "So, I take it from your smug expression that you've brought her around to your way of thinking, then?" Remus asked his friend.

Sirius smacked his lips. "I'd say she is definitely coming around."

"Then why aren't you in there right now?" Remus wanted to know.

"She had to go. She only planned on stopping by here on her way to Diagon Alley. She said she had to get some potions ingredients, and she has afternoon patrol at the school."

Remus nodded. "Ah, the joys of being the new teacher; always getting the crummiest assignments. So, when are you going to see each other again?" Remus was amused to see a goofy smile take over Sirius' face.

"Dunno. She's going to owl me. Says she can probably get an afternoon off next weekend." Sirius rolled onto his side and propped his head on his elbow. "You know, Moony, it's strange. One day you feel like things can't possibly get any worse, that nothing is going your way, and then, the next… everything shifts. All because of a woman."

Remus chuckled. "I'm glad you have a new perspective, Padfoot." He returned to his book, and Sirius returned to his supine position. After about a minute, Remus shut his book in exasperation. "I can't believe you are making me ask!"

"Ask what?" was the innocent reply.

"Are you going to tell me what happened there in the shower, or not?"

Sirius grinned. "Why, Moony, I thought you'd never ask…"

* * *

The next few weeks passed rather quickly as everyone settled into the school year, and the Fourth Years found that their homework loads had certainly gotten heavier this term. The only one who seemed to take that well was Hermione, and when she wasn't devoting her time to her studies, she was bestowing it on her new project: house-elf rights. Harry and Ron found they saw less and less of her, and were rather frustrated with the situation. They decided to seek help.

"Excuse me, Professor Dunlevy?"

Rinna looked up from her desk where she was grading papers during the midmorning break. She smiled at the two students who had entered her classroom and immediately put down her quill, pushing the stack of essays to the side. "Hullo, Ron, Harry. What can I do for you?"

Ron said, "Do you have a minute? We need to talk to you." The seriousness in his voice caused Rinna some concern.

"It's about Hermione," Harry added.

She got up from her desk at once, and gestured to them. "Follow me." She led them to her office in the back of the classroom, and pulled up chairs for them. She leaned herself against the front of a very heavy oak desk and quickly cast a silencing charm on the door. "Tell me what's going on, lads."

Ron and Harry, who were looking with interest at the shelves and desk in her office, turned to look at each other before regarding Rinna. "She's gone round the twist with this _spew_ stuff…" Ron began.

"Spew stuff?" Rinna asked in confusion.

"House-elf rights," Harry explained. "S.P.E.W. stands for Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. She thinks house-elves should be paid, and have representation in the Ministry of Magic."

"Ah, right." Rinna had overheard something about Hermione's new cause from Fred, George and Lee complaining before class about her cornering them with her collection tin and badges, demanding they join.

Harry continued, "She's spending all of her free time in the library or else she's waving her badges in people's faces and trying to browbeat them into joining up. She's making a lot of the students upset, especially in Gryffindor."

Ron looked at Rinna earnestly. "We want you, uh, that is, we were hoping you would tell her to stop."

Rinna was silent for a moment, studying the two young men. "Why?" she asked.

Ron started, "Well, because we've tried to, but she won't listen to us…"

Rinna interrupted. "No. I meant why should she stop? Is she harming anyone?" Both boys shook their heads.

"No," said Harry thoughtfully, "But she sure isn't making any friends."

"And you say you've tried talking to her…"

"Yeah we have," Harry explained, "and she just gets upset with us if we don't agree to wear the badges or get other people to join. And we hardly ever get to see her anymore…'

"Right," Ron agreed, "she's never around to help us with our homework anymore—uh," he glanced a Rinna in alarm, "I mean, you know, check it over for us and goad us to finish it on time and stuff…"

"Of course that's what you meant," Rinna agreed with an ironic lift of her eyebrows.

"But it's more than that. She's never around, period. I—I miss her." Harry's shoulders slumped a little. He would never admit it to Ron, and most likely not to his godmother, but he'd been missing more than Hermione's _company_ terribly, and was a little hurt that she was devoting so much time to her new cause. He was also feeling rather guilty, for without Hermione around, he found his eyes wandering around the Great Hall more during meals now, and they often found rest on Ravenclaw's pretty Seeker, Cho Chang.

Rinna huffed out a breath. "I'm sorry, lads, I'm not going to tell her she has to stop. But I will," she added, holding up her hands to forestall their simultaneous groans of disappointment, "go and talk to her. Will that suffice?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other and smiled in relief. "Brilliant," said Ron. "You'll be able to tell if she's gone mad. Besides, she'll listen to you. You're a teacher."

----- -----

About half an hour before curfew, Professor Dunlevy entered the library, and whispered quietly to Madame Pince. The librarian indicated one of the study tables in the back, near the restricted section. Rinna smiled her thanks and walked to the indicated table. She was amused at the irony that Hermione had chosen one of Rinna's preferred tables for quiet study. _What was it that James used to say? "Swotty minds think alike!"_

"Hullo, Hermione." Rinna slipped into an empty chair next to the girl.

Hermione looked up, annoyance at the disturbance showing in her eyes. "Good evening, Professor Dunlevy," she said stiffly.

_Goodness. She doesn't like me very much, does she?_ "I'm here because Harry and Ron told me they were worried about you. I think they are feeling a little abandoned." She indicated the books and scrolls and S.P.E.W. badges that littered the table.

"What?" Hermione was incensed. "They are the ones who abandoned me! They won't help me with any of this!"

"Why not?" Rinna wondered.

The brown-haired girl scowled and crossed her arms defiantly. "_They_ don't think that what I am doing is important," she huffed.

"Ah." Rinna leaned back in the chair, nodding thoughtfully. "Tell me why _you_ think it is important."

"Because house-elves have been enslaved for centuries. Centuries! And no one seems to think it is wrong. Ron and the twins tried to tell me that the house-elves like it! That's ridiculous! No one likes slavery! And they are abused, treated like property, forced to do things or go places they don't like. They don't get paid! They are required to injure themselves as punishment. It's beastly!"

After going on a good deal longer about the importance of S.P.E.W., Hermione finally looked at the professor sitting next to her. Seeing the neutral, polite expression on Rinna's face, she spluttered, "You don't agree with me, do you? You are a Pureblood. You probably think my cause is utterly stupid, just like Ron and Harry!"

"Hermione!" Rinna held up her hands in a calming gesture. "Hermione, I can see that you perceive that an injustice is being done. I can see that you believe very strongly that there is something you can do about it. And I see you acting on that conviction. Whether or not I believe that your cause has merit is not the point here." She picked up one of the S.P.E.W. badges, and rubbed her fingers meditatively on its surface. Then she pierced Hermione with her gaze. "The world needs people like you in it, Hermione Granger. People who will point out injustice. People who will act when no one else seems willing to. People who take their convictions and _do_ something with them. I applaud you for what you are doing."

"Oh." Hermione was very taken aback. "So you're not going to tell me that I should give this whole thing up?"

"Ha! I'd rather roll around in a pen full of blast-ended skrewts!" Rinna chuckled.

Hermione considered this in silence for a few moments. "Then why are you here?" she queried, confused.

Rinna smiled gently. "I'm here because Harry and Ron asked me to come; they told me they miss you. And because I promised them that I would talk to you and make sure that you weren't barking mad." Hermione laughed a little at that. "They care about you very much, you know."

Frizzy brown hair bobbed as she nodded her head. "I know," Hermione said softly, an indulgent smile on her face. The smile quickly turned sly as she added, "And they are probably getting woefully behind on their homework, I imagine."

Rinna laughed knowingly, but quickly quieted when she heard Madame Pince pointedly clearing her throat behind them. She glanced at the library clock and said, "Come on. I'll walk you back to the Gryffindor common room so you won't get in trouble for being out after curfew." She helped the girl put away books and clean up the table.

The teacher and the student walked quietly through the halls. At the portrait of the Fat Lady, Rinna held out the S.P.E.W. badge she had been holding all that time. "Would you mind if I kept this?" she asked.

Hermione's head whipped up in surprise. "Ah- All right." Rinna did not miss the calculating glint in her eyes.

"I'm not allowed to wear it. Staff dress code, you know."

"Oh." Disappointment was evident in Hermione's voice. Having a teacher wearing the badge would have been an absolute coup for her cause.

Rinna smiled, admiration for the girl's persistence and ambition growing by the minute. _She'd have done well in Slytherin,_ she thought. "But I will keep it at my desk."

Hermione smiled. "Excellent!" she declared.

* * *

It happened one rainy night towards the end of September that dinner in the middle section of the Slytherin table was a quiet affair; Draco Malfoy was sulking. The school year was nearly one month gone, and Draco was heartily getting tired of the whispered slander and outright spoken taunts of the Fourth Year Gryffindors. He ground his teeth and mentally blasted Mad-Eye Moody for ever transfiguring him into a ferret. He felt particularly irritated by the insults from Potty and the Weasel, mostly because Draco had yet to find a suitable comeback that would push the right buttons. He did not dare trot out any derogatory remarks about the Weasley matriarch again.

Now Granger and her new house-elf campaign gave him plenty of fodder, and he'd come up with some rather nasty slurs, if he did say so himself. But the bushy-haired bint had taken to just tossing him a sneer of contempt and then ignoring him. He couldn't get a rise out of her! It was galling, especially when he remembered the smack in the face she'd given him last year. What he wouldn't give to elicit _that_ kind of response from her again!

As it was, the situation was intolerable. He'd reached his limit. If those filthy Gryffindors, any of them, made one more reference to ferrets… well, there'd be hell to pay. He grinned evilly, causing his cadre of Third and Fourth Year sycophants to shudder.

----- -----

It also happened that night that Hogwarts' Third and Fourth Years were busy working on a joint Transfiguration project in the library. At about fifteen minutes before curfew, Madame Pince began shooing everyone out. A group of about sixteen Slytherins, and a little more than a dozen Gryffindors remained until Madam Pince demanded that they please vacate the premises immediately.

Draco Malfoy found his exit blocked by bushy brown hair. "Out of my way, Mudblood," he hissed, elbowing Hermione aside.

"OY! Malfoy, you git!" Ron shouted to the Slytherin's retreating back. "Learn some manners!"

Draco turned with a smirk and said, "Oh, that's rich, coming from a destitute, uncouth slob like you, Weasel."

Harry placed a restraining hand on Ron's chest. He sneered at the blond boy. "What are _you_ trying to transfigure your pincushion into, Malfoy? A ferret? It should be easy for you."

Draco froze, and so did his Housemates around him. Harry and Ron laughed along with the other Gryffindors, and they turned to make their way to their dorm. Draco didn't move as he watched them leave, a petulant scowl on his face.

"Shouldn't we go to the dungeons, Draco?" asked Vincent Crabbe.

Draco held up a hand to forestall any more inquires. When the last Gryffindor was out of sight, he whispered, "Follow them."

The corridor that ran from the library to the stairs to Gryffindor Tower had several places where it widened out so much that it was like a small courtyard or antechamber. This was to accommodate a side hallway or two. It was in one such spot that the Slytherins caught up to the group.

"Potter!" Draco bellowed.

Instantly, Harry and his group spun around to see the Slytherins arranging themselves at one end of the hall, wands drawn. "What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry gritted out. The Gryffindors immediately took defensive stances, wands at the ready.

Draco took a menacing step forward. "You have called me 'ferret' for the last time, Potter!"

A cocky smirk took over Harry's face, his eyes alight with glee. "Oh really. Have I now? What are you going to do about it, Fer-rr-ret?"

Draco's eyes narrowed with indignation as he raised his wand in response. "_Serpensortia!_" he shouted, and suddenly a large snake was weaving toward the Gryffindors, hissing angrily.

Hermione grabbed Harry's arm. "NO, Harry! Don't you dare counter! We'll all get in trouble for dueling in the halls!" But it was too late; Harry had yanked his arm free and his snake was quickly slithering forward to meet the other.

Hermione's mind was working furiously, looking for a way to end this unfortunate encounter when two more Slytherins stepped forward, shouted the spell and two more snakes joined the fray. _We need the advantage_, she thought, _I wonder, I wonder_… And in that millisecond, she decided to employ the charm she'd been using to make all her S.P.E.W. badges: "_Serpensortia accensere decem_!" she cried.

Ten snakes moved with zeal toward the Slytherins, and for a single moment, everyone froze. "Bloody hell, Hermione!" Ron shouted, breaking the stillness. Suddenly, everyone erupted with curses, hexes and blocking spells. Harry, Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini all picked up on Hermione's modification and soon thirty or more snakes had joined the melee. It was quickly becoming very dangerous.

_Uh oh_, Harry thought. _I think things just got very, very out of hand…_

----- -----

Rinna grimaced as she ran down the little-used hallway trying to work her way back to the main part of the castle and to her quarters. She would much rather run outdoors, but the rain had never let up so she had to resort to jogging the hallways and climbing the stairs. Unfortunately, several of the moving staircases had conspired to not only lengthen her workout, but to dump her off into one of the lesser used areas of the castle many floors up.

Her breath was ragged in her ears, and she was tired, which might have explained why she didn't hear the strange hissing or sense the swirling of magical energy until seconds before she rounded the corner at full tilt. _Damn it! Should have slowed down!_

Rinna stepped on a rather large serpent, wrenching her right ankle, and experienced one of those strange sensations of time slowing to a near stop as she fell to the floor and skidded right into a large writhing mass of perhaps dozens of snakes. She had the presence of mind to shout a shielding charm that repelled the striking animals and gave her a perimeter of about two feet.

The students involved in the fracas stilled suddenly as a person burst out from the side hallway and stumbled into the scene, literally. Several gasps were heard as she fell and Harry's heart leapt into his throat when he recognized his godmother as she landed among the reptiles with a shout.

"Holy hell, it's Professor Dunlevy!" exclaimed Gregory Goyle, looking in consternation at Draco, but Draco's and his Housemates' horrified attention was riveted by what was happening. The red-headed woman had managed to get on hands and knees and was making the oddest hissing noises at the snakes that were raised up and ready to strike all around her.

Harry watched his godmother with wide eyes as she carefully, slowly, painstakingly got her feet under her in a crouch, the entire time speaking softly in a sweet voice very much at odds with the situation: "There, there, my beauties…see? I'm not going to hurt you. Come on now; settle down, there are my good laddies… I'm not going to hurt you." She slowly stood up, keeping up the soft patter in a lilting voice that seemed to soothe the serpents, and soon they were swaying to and fro in front of her.

Once she had her balance evenly distributed on her feet, she made a brusque, cutting gesture and sharply uttered a banishment charm. Instantly, all the snakes in the room vanished. There was a collective gasp from the spectators, and then everyone fell silent. Professor Dunlevy's eyes swept the hall, as she stood, breathing heavily, assessing the situation. She looked rather perturbed. The students shuffled their feet nervously.

"Well," she drawled sardonically as she crossed her arms. "Would anyone care to enlighten me as to what was going on here?" Her voice was calm, unruffled, and dangerously soft. No one moved or made a sound.

Harry doubted that anyone present would appreciate the honor of being the first students to arouse the ire of Professor Dunlevy. No one had yet seen or heard of her losing her temper, and the apprehension in the air was palpable. Only he and his friends had ever seen her in a fit of pique, and, based on that experience, he was not looking forward to the next few minutes.

Rinna drummed her fingers on her upper arm as she gave the group one more chance. "Come on, now. I can see that this was more than just a meeting of the Hogwarts Herpetological Society…" Still there was no response. She smirked. She could appreciate the irony that these two groups were at least momentarily aligned in the solidarity of silence.

Rinna extended both her hands in a grasping motion. "_Accio_ wands!" Immediately, every wand in the room went flying into her doubled grip. "Tell me," she said in a deceptively conversational tone, "have any of you heard of the spell '_Prior Incantato_?'"

Harry was horrified to see Hermione's hand shoot up. _She just can't help herself, can she?_ He tried to pull it down, but Rinna had seen.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"It is used to discover the most recent spell a wand has cast, Professor," Hermione answered quietly.

Rinna suppressed a smile. "Very good. Ten points to Gryffindor." She glanced again over the assembly. "Let me explain how this scenario is going to go down. Each of you here that cast a curse or a hex will have an opportunity to step forward. You will receive detention and lose ten points for your House." Everyone began shifting and muttering uneasily. "If you choose not to step forward, I will proceed to cast _Prior Incantato_ on your wand, and, if I discover that you were a perpetrator, you will receive detention for a week and lose one hundred points for your House. Is this clear?"

"That's unfair!" exclaimed Draco. "You're blackmailing us into incriminating ourselves!"

The Professor cast him a mordant look. "No, Mr. Malfoy. Either way, one's culpability is exposed. I am merely expediting the conclusion of our dealings here. There are a large number of wands," she lifted her hands for emphasis, "and it will take far longer than I want to go through them all. Besides, haven't you heard that confession is good for the soul?" Draco scowled at the aphorism.

Harry took a deep breath. _No point in delaying the inevitable_, he thought. He stepped forward and declared, "I cast a _serpensortia_, and, uh," he turned to Hermione, "what was the other one, Hermione?"

"_Serpensortia accensere decem_," she supplied. Professor Dunlevy's eyebrows raised in interest.

"Yeah, that one, and…"

"I cast that one, too," Hermione hastily added, stepping up to join Harry.

"As did I," Draco insisted as he moved up.

One by one, students from each House moved forward and admitted to various spells, until all that were left were Neville Longbottom from Gryffindor, and Miriam Baddock, a Slytherin Third Year.

"All right, you two. Am I to understand that you did not cast any hexes or curses during this little scuffle?" Rinna looked at each of them, not unkindly.

Neville shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "I-I-I tried to, ma'am, but all that came out of my wand was a spray of daisies," he said with shame. Sure enough, a trampled bouquet was evident in the corner. Several snickers were heard from the Slytherin side of the hall.

"Longbottom, is it?" Rinna inquired. Neville nodded miserably. "Well, your well-known talent in Herbology would explain that. Professor Sprout speaks very highly of you." Neville brightened and flushed from the praise. "You confessed to intent, so the punishment still stands. Detention and ten points from Gryffindor." Neville nodded.

She turned to the pretty but rather quiet Slytherin girl. "And you, Miss…"

"Baddock. I-I, uh, didn't participate in the brawl, ma'am." She hung her head, knowing that she would be put upon by the others later for not only _not_ trying to hex Gryffindors, but for confessing to her lack of contribution as well.

"All right, Miss Baddock. If you would kindly take your wand." Rinna proffered the handful of wands and Miriam carefully extracted hers. Rinna set the two bundles of wands down by her feet, and reached behind her to remove her own wand from where it was tucked into the waistband of her track pants.

Harry was startled to realize that up until this very moment, his godmother had been using wandless magic.

Rinna cast the _Prior Incantato _which revealed that the last spell Miriam Baddock had used was an acne banishing spell. The poor girl flushed with embarrassment, until the Professor took her chin and turned it to each side to study Miriam's flawless complexion. "Oh, _well_ done," Rinna exclaimed. "Remarkably well executed, Miss Baddock. I wish I had had your skill with skin care spells when I was in school. I would've given anything to keep my face from breaking out into spots!" The girl smiled shyly at Professor Dunlevy, who winked.

"All right, you lot." Rinna bent to pick up the remaining wands. "Please come forward to claim your wands, and then you are dismissed to your dorms. Oh, and I suppose I should say something to the effect of 'I hope we've all learned something here today.' I know that I have." She smiled ruefully.

"What did you learn?" Blaise Zabini asked cheekily as he retrieved his wand.

"To slow down when I'm turning corners!"

The Gryffindors waited until the more pushy Slytherins had taken their wands before moving forward. Harry was amazed to hear Pansy Parkinson say, as she moved down the hall, "I learned that Professor Dunlevy is a Parselmouth!" He saw Rinna's shoulders suddenly tense. _Of course, that's why she was talking to the snakes!_

Rinna had almost completely relaxed as she reined in the whole situation until she picked up the bundles of wands again. Immediately, she felt an odd prickling in one of her hands, a sensation that she had noticed before but ignored. She shrugged it off as nerves. Pansy's comment only served to further her discomfiture, but coming face to face with Harry was her undoing. She saw something flicker in his eyes: accusation. She knew why. Once again she had kept something from him, but honestly, could he blame her for not blithely telling people she spoke Parseltongue? It really wasn't something you admitted to if you were trying to make a good impression… and she'd desperately been trying to make a good impression on Harry for two months now.

"All right, Harry?" she asked as he pulled his wand, the last one, from her hand. He nodded. "Did this all start, perchance, with an altercation between you three and Malfoy?" she queried. Harry nodded again, not meeting her eyes. "Ah."

"I'm sorry that you almost got bitten," he said to her feet.

She sighed. "Well, it was fortunate that it was _me_ that came around that corner, and that I was able to talk my way out of some snake bites."

Harry raised his eyes to her then, and he realized that things could have turned out much, much worse. "Yeah. You're right." The blaze of indignation left his expression, and a smile threatened to move his lips. "It's a good thing it was you and not Professor Snape, or we Gryffindors would have made out a whole lot worse."

"Indeed," she agreed. "Well, good night, Harry."

"Good night, Prof—uh, Rinna."

She watched him join Hermione and Ron who were waiting for him where the hall narrowed again. As the three disappeared, leaving her alone, she began to notice the ache in her right ankle, the scrapes on her forearms where she'd landed, and that the weird prickling was no longer present in her hand.

"Well done!" came an encouraging voice, and Rinna spun around to see Hogwarts' Headmaster emerge from the very corridor she'd barreled onto the scene from.

"Just how much of that did you witness?" Rinna demanded suspiciously.

He crossed toward her, eyes glinting over his half-moon spectacles. He pointed his wand at her ankle and each of her elbows in turn as he spoke, healing her injuries. "Oh, enough. Enough to know that the Third and Fourth Year Slytherins are now looking forward to taking your classes next term; that Hermione Granger will need special tutoring to hone that natural talent for modifying spells she possesses; that Neville Longbottom's self-esteem has risen a notch; and that Miriam Baddock will soon have a wildly successful underground business selling skin care charms." Rinna let out an unladylike guffaw. "As I said, well done."

"Except Harry is now upset to find out that I'm a Parselmouth." Rinna said regretfully.

Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "Perhaps he was merely surprised to discover that he is no longer the only one at Hogwarts with that particular gift," he said mildly.

Rinna's eyes goggled. "WHAT?"

Dumbledore took her hand and patted it. "Would you care to join me for a nightcap in my office, my dear?"

"You know damn well I would, after a comment like that, Albus!"

----- -----

It seemed to Harry that everyone took forever to retire to bed. When the Trio was finally alone in the common room, Harry put down his quill and said in a low voice, "What do you make of Rinna?"

"She makes bloody wandless magic look easy-peasy, doesn't she?" Ron said.

"I was referring to her speaking Parseltongue," Harry amended dryly.

Ron was puzzled. "What about it?"

Hermione huffed a little impatiently at Ron. "I think Harry is a bit concerned about this new information, Ronald." At Ron's continued quizzical look, she explained, "It's usually only found among dark wizards, remember?"

"Oh. I guess I've gotten so used to Harry being able to speak it that I forgot about that." Ron seemed deep in thought. "I don't think you should be concerned about her. She's never given any indication that she's into Dark Arts. Besides, Harry just proves that there can be exceptions to the rule. You speak it, but _you're_ not a dark wizard, Harry," Ron pointed out.

"Yes, but we know how I acquired my ability to speak Parseltongue. It is rather unlikely that Rinna got that particular skill from Voldemort like me."

"Well, we know she's a Pureblood, right?" Hermione said. "Didn't Sirius tell you that?" Harry nodded. "She probably comes from a family with Dark Arts roots." Privately, she agreed with Ron. Rinna may be secretive, but she wasn't evil.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "And Sirius came from a very Dark family himself, and he's okay."

Harry visibly relaxed at Ron's comment. "You're right," he mused. "And you know, I really hated it when everyone was judging me and thinking I was the Heir of Slytherin when it came out that I was a Parselmouth. In fact, I don't blame her keeping something like that hidden."

The others nodded. "So," Ron queried, "what _was_ it she was saying to the snakes, anyway?"

Later, when Harry was lying in bed and reviewing the whole incident in his head, he realized that things really could have turned out so much worse on so many levels. He sighed, and resolved to put the quandary of Rinna's newly revealed ability out of his mind.

* * *

**A/N: "_accensere decem" _really just means "add ten" in Latin I made that up, just like Hermione! I guess swotty minds DO think alike! Hee hee.**

**I would love to hear what you think of this chapter as it was one of my favorites to write! So hurry, don't wait one second more, and go to the review button below! Please please please tell me what you thought! I'm begging you! **

**And muchas smooches to the wonderful people who reviewed my last chappie and made me dance about in glee: Lorett (aka: Beta-extraordinaire), Kerichi, SJ, smokie, Abril, Coryna and Kerrie the-scary-girl-next-door! And thanks to Tombadgerlock who reviewed chapter one: I hope you are still reading!**

19


	17. Misbehavin'

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 17: Misbehavin'**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe. Sigh. Any characters, places, little shops in Knockturn Alley, situations, or spells that you don't find in her fabulous books, well now, they belong to me! **

**Author note: If I were to use the Motion Picture Association's rating system for my story, I would say that up until this point, it would be a definite PG-13 (mostly for language and the occasional romantic scene). Well, our dear Rinna and Sirius have forced me to assign an R rating for this chapter! (At least, for the last third of the chapter, anyway.) Rated R for… how can I euphemistically put it? Ah yes, for "adult situations." If you wouldn't be allowed into an R rated movie on your own, you probably shouldn't be reading it. You have been warned. (No skipping over to the last part of the chapter now, you hear!)**

* * *

As it turned out, the "Snake Incident," as it was being called by the Hogwarts staff, was the first of many episodes of misbehavior that began to crop up. Mischief and general bad behavior was at an all-time high for so early in the term.

Rinna had just broken up one such occurrence on her way to the Staff Meeting. A group of Sixth Years (she was not in the least bit surprised to find Fred and George Weasley and Lee Jordan the ringleaders) had decided to create a skating rink in the main hall outside the Charms classroom by flooding the area with water from the nearby boys lavatory and applying a impressively well executed freezing charm. After handing out detentions to all involved, Rinna shooed away the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor girls who had been skating in their stocking feet (first allowing them to dry their socks), and turned to dispatch the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw boys who were using their Care of Magical Creatures books in some sort of weird version of curling. She was duly impressed with the level of creativity they had achieved: they had even transfigured their quills into little brooms to sweep the ice in front of the books.

"You three," she commanded, pointing at one dread-locked and two ginger-haired perpetrators, "demonstrate your magical skills by cleaning this up, now." While the boys were doing so, Madam Hooch happened onto the scene, and stood by Rinna, watching the proceedings with interest. When the lads were done, Rinna sent them away with double detentions and a sincere, "Well done, all of it."

The two women began walking toward the Staff Room. Madam Hooch said, "It won't be long before these harmless pranks begin to get worse."

"I hardly would call a hallway writhing with a hundred snakes harmless," Rinna noted dryly.

The flying instructor brushed her comment aside. "Exactly what I mean. Pretty soon, someone will get hurt, badly. It's because of the cancellation of Quidditch, you know. The students have no organized sanctioned outlet for their restless energy."

Rinna agreed and added, "And, we still have almost four weeks to go before the other schools arrive, don't forget."

Madam Hooch paused. "Would you agree that something must be done, Arinna?" Her tone was conspiratorial.

"What did you have in mind, Rolanda?" Rinna grinned collaboratively.

----- -----

The din of clamoring voices struck Rinna and her companion as they opened the Staff Room door, the last ones to arrive. Minerva McGonagall's eyes narrowed as she saw Rinna hand Hooch a quill, and hastily roll up a scroll and shrink it into her palm.

Professor Sinistra had unofficially started the meeting, her voice loud with concern. "It's getting out of hand, Albus! Why, Minerva is having to assign each staff member a third and even fourth night of detention duty to accommodate all the punishments being handed out!"

Rinna politely cleared her throat. "And unfortunately, I just gave out twenty-six detentions and three doubles on my way over here…"

"WHAT?" Sprout, Flitwick, and Sinistra all rounded on her.

She shrugged apologetically. The Snake Incident had awarded Rinna the dubious honor of giving the most detentions for a single act of mischief so far this year (twenty-nine of them to be exact) and now she had topped herself. "An ice skating rink outside the Charms classrooms," she explained. "Sixth Years." She looked at McGonagall and Flitwick. "It's really too bad you didn't get to see it, Minerva, Filius, because it was a brilliant display of skilled transfiguration and charms work…"

But none of Rinna's colleagues were amused; everyone turned to the Headmaster and began talking at once. Sinistra protested her loss of personal time. Moody suggested this was all the work of dark wizards who had infiltrated the school and were controlling the students' behavior with the Imperius Curse. Argus Filch whined that if he was allowed to discipline the students _his_ way, this problem wouldn't be happening. Even Snape calmly pointed out that additional nights of detention duty would disrupt his work on many of the delicate potions he was brewing, especially the potions that Poppy Pomfrey relied on daily in the infirmary. As other staff opened mouths to lodge their complaints, Dumbledore raised his hands for silence.

Everyone quieted and found a seat except Sybill Trelawney, who had actually ventured down from her tower to attend the meeting. She quavered, "I knew great turmoil was on the horizon! My Inner Eye foresaw these troubling times!"

Snape looked at her with an expression of sour distaste. "And yet, you did not deem it troubling enough to enlighten the rest of the staff…" he noted acerbically. Trelawney glared at him, and sat down huffily.

The Headmaster cleared his throat. "I am aware that mischief and mayhem has reached unprecedented heights for so early in the term. And our good Deputy Headmistress has informed me that we have enough detentions to last well into mid-November if we use the normal detention-duty roster." He stopped. "And thanks to our Sixth Years, probably to the end of November." He chuckled to himself. "Skating rinks in the hallways. What will they think of next?" He was met with silence. Cheerfully, he added, "And that is, of course, assuming that from this moment on, no more students earn a detention. The chances of _that_ happening, as I'm sure you are all aware, are not very likely." The man looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself. "My, my. This is a most interesting situation… Yes, Rolanda?"

"I believe that most of our troubles are a result of pent up energy that has no properly approved physical outlet, Albus," stated Madam Hooch. "After all, in a normal school year, the Houses would have had at least three weeks of Quidditch practice under their belts by now and would be zealously preparing for the first match of the year. All of their restless energy would be channeled into flying, strategizing, or cheering. With the canceling of Quidditch, the students are finding much more, er, creative ways to let off steam." She looked around. "We simply must arrange for Quidditch to be played."

Voices again rose all at once. Someone cried, "We can't start Quidditch now! The Triwizard Tournament is beginning soon!" Others nodded in emphasis. "There is no time to have team try-outs now!" shouted Pomona Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff House. "Quidditch is quite out of the question," came another protest.

Rinna popped out of her seat rather suddenly, drawing the attention of the others (who were all old enough that they never moved that abruptly anymore unless absolutely necessary, with the exception of Snape who was spry enough but would never deign to behave in so indecorous a manner). "May I suggest something?" she asked politely. Taking the disapproving silence as an affirmative, she said, "I think we should seize this opportunity to enhance the students' education. We could start up an intramural program of Muggle sports: say rugby, or maybe that crazy American football. It would be very cross-cultural, you know, promote understanding… it would be a precursor to the Triwizard Tournament itself." Rinna wished she had a camera to capture the expressions of her colleagues. As it was, she had to stifle a snort; she needed to be convincing, after all.

Severus Snape looked as if he'd just smelled something very unpleasant. "Really, Arinna! Are you daft? The idea of Slytherin House playing Muggle games is absolutely preposterous…" his voice trailed off as he noted an amused glint in Rinna's eyes and her attempt to hide a smug quirk of her lips. He snapped his mouth shut, and eyed her warily. He had a sudden suspicion that he, and the rest of the staff, was in the process of being conned by the red-headed upstart.

"My dear," said Professor Sprout in a tone that was a cross between pity and exasperation, "You of all people should know that Quidditch is a time-honored tradition here at Hogwarts. Why, it is the oldest wizarding sport, and as such, is Hogwarts official sport." Heads began to nod again in agreement.

"Exactly!" Professor Sinistra interjected. "Even in the spirit of cross-cultural understanding, it simply would be unseemly for this school to play host to Muggle games." She turned to Dumbledore. "If there are to be any intramural games, they must be Quidditch!"

The Headmaster was stroking his beard to hide the smile on his lips. He cleared his throat and said solemnly, "I have always tried to heed the good advice of my staff, particularly when it comes to the well being of this school. Is this the general consensus? That we should begin intramural Quidditch as soon as possible?" He looked around the room and took in the enthusiastic nods, noting that only Snape looked rather put out.

Dumbledore turned to Madam Hooch. "Well, Rolanda, the recommendation of the staff is that we initiate intramural Quidditch games immediately. Is this feasible?"

"We might be able to work something out," Hooch replied drolly. "In fact, I believe I will let Professor Dunlevy explain how."

"Certainly, Rolanda," said Rinna smartly, stepping forward and appropriating the attention of everyone in the room. She produced a small scroll from her palm and enlarged it. "As you can see, here is a rotation of use times for the pitch that will allow not only the House Teams to play, but other organized pick-up teams as well. We have also set up a duty roster to provide adult supervision. And if I may direct your attention…"

Professor Flitwick was sputtering. "What? Why, Arinna, I thought you wanted Muggle sports…" his voice trailed off as he saw Rinna grin.

"Really, Filius. Me? Not want Quidditch? In exchange for American football, of all things? Did you know that the ball used for that isn't even round?" Rinna laughed at the expression on the Charms professor's face.

Flitwick pointed his finger at Rinna and Hooch in turn. "You, both of you, set us up!" he squeaked. The room began to fill with chuckles.

Taking command again, Rinna raised her voice. "And, I suspect that you all will find _this_ to your satisfaction." She turned the oversized parchment over. "In order to get the pitch and stadium ready for play, there is a great deal of work to be done. Enough work for, oh, say seventy students to tackle as they serve their detentions on the next Saturday morning…" The room swelled with approving murmurs.

"I daresay that should get the detention duty roster down to a manageable level again, eh Minerva?" noted Professor Sinistra as she peered at the parchment. Rinna observed Argus Filch turn a rather unhealthy shade of red at the thought of all those students getting off so easily, in his opinion, and she secretly was pleased that his latest plans for tortuously miserable detentions had been foiled.

The room was filled with the pleasant buzz of discussion for a few more minutes, with Rinna and Hooch fielding questions until all were satisfied with the solution (at least, all except Filch) and the meeting began to break up. Rinna rolled up the parchment and gave it to McGonagall.

When she turned around, she found Severus Snape standing in front of her, scrutinizing her charily. She raised her eyebrow in inquiry. He raised an eyebrow in return and drawled softly, "Well played, Arinna. How very Slytherin of you."

One side of her mouth quirked upward impudently. "Indeed, Severus. That sounded suspiciously like a compliment, coming from you."

He gave her a curt nod. "Interpret it as you see fit. Goodnight."

Rinna's eyes followed Snape as he stalked out of the room. Professor Trelawney was standing near the door, still wringing her hands. The silly woman looked genuinely distressed. Rinna turned back to Dumbledore and McGonagall and gave them a nod before crossing the room to take the Divination Professor by the arm. "Sybill, dear, did you not some time ago foresee that you and I would spend a pleasant evening drinking hot toddies?"

Trelawney squinted at the younger woman through her thick glasses. "I did?" she asked tremulously.

"I'm quite sure you did," Rinna said firmly. "And isn't it convenient that the kitchens are between us and your tower?" She gently led the woman out the door.

Minerva watched the two women leave and sighed. "I am glad to see that in spite of everything she's been through, our Arinna is still a kind and compassionate girl."

Dumbledore chuckled. He knew that even though as a schoolgirl Rinna had tested and tried the Deputy Headmistress' patience many times, Minerva had always had a soft spot for the Titian-haired spitfire. As did he; she had taken every brutal, tragic card life had handed her and built herself a formidable hand. Dumbledore was rather pleased to have the opportunity to see how she would play that hand now that she'd finally grown up. "And she's turning out to be a rather useful girl, as well. Just as I predicted, all those years ago, if you recall, Minerva."

McGonagall tossed him a sour look. "Did you foresee that with your Inner Eye, Albus?" she asked mockingly.

He blithely ignored her comment. "The mark of a good educator, my dear Professor, is finding constructive ways to divert a potential troublemaker's precocious, swotty, know-it-all energy and turn it to the school's advantage. That is why I made her a prefect, you know."

She nodded. "And now, you have made her a teacher."

"Yet another brilliant move on my part, as you saw tonight." The look on his face was pure cunning. "And now that I have her on staff, I am quite eager to keep her here."

"Well, it's obvious she enjoys teaching, and has a gift for it. What subject do you have in mind for her next year, then?"

"Why, we will need a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, of course. We will have a vacancy when Moody leaves in June. It is not unreasonable to drop the 'Associate' from the title she now carries, is it?"

McGonagall looked at him a bit incredulously. "Do you honestly think that something as simple as a change in job title will break the curse on the D.A.D.A. position?"

Dumbledore smiled serenely. "Sometimes, the best solutions to problems are simple ones, my dear."

McGonagall remained thoughtfully quiet before adding, "I suppose it would certainly be absurdly fitting if she was the one to break the curse, now wouldn't it?"

"I assure you that I would appreciate the irony of it, Minerva." With a nod, Dumbledore took his leave.

* * *

Rinna stood at the entrance to the Quidditch stadium and scowled as she reviewed the reasons why she hated this very moment. First and foremost, the sun was not quite above the horizon yet; never a happy observation for a non-morning person. Secondly, she had gotten to bed late the night before; planning and organizing this day had taken them well into the evening, but it was a certain blue-eyed Marauder who had kept her up past her bedtime. A smile almost made it to her lips because that thought implied things much more naughty than what had actually happened; they had spent a good two hours talking, punctuated by some cuddling and handholding with an occasional kiss, on the chaise on her back porch. Entirely her fault, really, that she was barely able to keep her eyes open this morning, but, then again, they did have years of catching up to do.

Snapping out of her reverie, she noted the third reason for her cantankerousness; it looked to her that the castle was vomiting out thousands of students, who were trudging, bleary-eyed, toward the Quidditch field, grumbling loudly. The largest group-detention in the history of Hogwarts was about to begin.

"Here, you look like you could use this."

A large mug of steaming liquid was thrust into her hands. She peered up at Madam Hooch. "What is this?" She bent to sniff it.

"Espresso. A potent version of coffee. It will get you going! Are you much of a coffee drinker, Arinna?"

"I am now!" Rinna stated fervently as she cautiously sipped. Even the smell of it was invigorating. "Thanks."

Rolanda Hooch grinned. "Here come the hordes. I hope you are ready for this."

Rinna groaned. "Tell me why we have to do this, again?"

"Because we were the conniving witches who came up with this plan in order to save the school from utter destruction, not to mention have a little Quidditch fun," the older woman answered in a hearty tone.

Rinna scrubbed at her face with her hand and gave herself a few smart pats on her cheek in an attempt to perk up. "Right. Remind me to never do any secret plotting with you again," she grumbled.

Hooch laughed. "Drink up, dear."

----- -----

All in all, the morning was going rather smoothly, Rinna thought with satisfaction as she circled above the pitch on her broom, observing the controlled chaos that she and Rolanda had orchestrated. Which suited her just fine; there would be time for lunch before the first pick-up game that afternoon. And after a few hours serving as referee, Rinna would be able to floo home to a supposedly home-cooked meal… she smiled, knowing that Dorrie had managed to browbeat Remus and Sirius into some kind of dinner party. _Congratulations on the "Quidditch victory," Dunnie dear,_ she had written, _No doubt by the end of Saturday, you are going to be completely knackered. I'll sweet-talk Remus into playing chef, and we'll have everything ready for you when you get here._

Rinna sighed. One of these days she was going to have to demand an entire weekend off. It was utterly frustrating to only be able to squeeze in a few hours here and there with Sirius. Everyone at the school assumed she had a beau, an idea that had probably germinated from the rather frequent morning posts she received that consisted of a rose and a letter. And yet, it hadn't struck anyone as strange that she had not yet spent a night away from Hogwarts since the term started.

Of course, she was the one who'd volunteered to help make this "Quidditch victory" happen, thus, of her own free will, giving up a chance to spend the day with her… her what? Her lover? Well he certainly wasn't that yet, damn it. Her fiancé? He wasn't that really, anymore, either. Her boyfriend? Her suitor? Inamorato? Swain? Flame? She heaved an exasperated sigh. Okay, so their situation was a bit unique. Renegade paramour? _Come on, Rinna girl, focus now. You are supposed to be supervising…_ clearly the buzz from the espresso Hooch had handed her was wearing off.

She heard shouting below and glanced down and swore. If there ever was a time for artificial stimulants in her system, it was now, for she saw an altercation underway; a blond-headed boy with balled up fists was heading for a flame-haired boy and his brunet mate. _Time for a little intervention with my favorite Fourth Years_, she thought grimly as she angled her broom downward.

The situation had only escalated to a bit of finger-jabbing in the chest when Rinna landed, but Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan were already loping over from the Gryffindor group, and Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were treading a number of yards behind Draco. One baleful glare from Professor Dunlevy sent each pair of back-up players hastening rearward to their respective housemates.

"Well, gentlemen, mind telling me what seems to be the problem here?" Rinna fixed each boy with a stern eye.

Harry and Ron glanced at each other, then shrugged. Draco, it seemed, decided to be on his best behavior when the professor who'd recently been elevated from 'not worth thinking about' to 'intriguing' in his estimation suddenly appeared. He smiled charmingly and said, "Oh, there's no problem here, Professor Dunlevy."

Rinna's eyes made the round of each boy again. "Uh huh," she said, unconvinced. "That is good to hear, because it would be a shame for you all to have put in so much hard work to get the pitch and the stadium ready, only to _not_ be able to play today…" Her voice trailed off warningly. The three caught her drift, for they nodded. "So unless there is something I can do for you lads…"

Draco was seized with a sudden desire to prolong this encounter with the Associate D.A.D.A. Professor. After all, this was the closest he had ever been to having her undivided attention, and besides, the longer he talked to her, the less work he would have to do. Now what could he say to keep Dunlevy from sending him back?

Draco's eyes caught the glare reflected off the finish on her broom handle. "Professor, what kind of broom is that?" he asked. He remembered Madam Hooch mentioning a Silver Arrow once, and Professor Dunlevy's broom sure looked silver. He vaguely recalled something about the Arrow being one of the fastest brooms of its time. He was sure Dunlevy would be impressed with his knowledge of brooms. "That is a Silver Arrow, isn't it?" he added with a knowing air.

Ron, who had poured over the book on broomsticks Rinna had given Harry for his birthday, turned to him and scowled. "Malfoy, you dolt; the Silver Arrow was one of the first racing brooms of the twentieth century. If she had one of those in _that_ kind of condition," indicating the sparkling gleam on Rinna's broom, "she'd have it in a glass case with fifty unbreakable charms on it!"

Harry snickered, and Draco looked furious. Rinna smoothly interjected, "I don't know much about any brooms that came out before the seventies, to be honest. This one," she held it out to Draco, much to Harry's annoyance, "is a Silver Dart; a 1001 LE, to be exact."

Draco took the broom, inwardly pleased as he recognized the name. Now he was on track! He gave a low whistle as he hefted the broom in his hand, testing its balance. "Of course! The Silver Dart was the Slytherin Team broom for quite a few years."

Rinna gave him an inscrutable look. "I was the first person at Hogwarts to ever own one." She added, wryly, "I didn't realize I had started a trend." She took the broom back as Draco offered it to her and affectionately brushed her fingers along the handle. "But then, she _was_ a flashy piece of work in her day."

"She's still a fine looking broom, Professor." Draco smirked over at Potter, pleased to have commanded so much of Professor Dunlevy's attention so far.

Privately, Harry had to agree; the Dart was gorgeous. Although, he was sure that Malfoy only thought so because of the silver and green coloring. Harry had listened to the conversation with a deep scowl on his face. Trust Malfoy to try to suck up to Rinna! He was just trying to get first crack at the pitch once play began, Harry was sure. Harry smirked when he remembered that **he** knew just how good that broom was. "Those Silver Darts fly really well, too," he commented offhandedly. He glanced at Ron and the two boys shared a knowing grin.

Draco sneered, clearly thinking such talk was all bravado on Harry's part. "How would you know, Potter? It's not like you've ever flown one before."

"Actually, I have." Harry retorted in a challenging tone.

"You know, gentlemen," Rinna cut in quickly before Ron could open his mouth and join the posturing, "I'd be happy to talk brooms with you another time. Right now, however, I believe you have work to do. And the sooner it is done, the sooner some Quidditch can be played." She jutted her chin toward the group of Slytherins Draco should have been with, and gave him a meaningful look. He glared at the two Gryffindors before nodding politely to the Professor, and left.

Rinna turned to Ron and Harry. "No more slacking off for you two swaggerers, either. And can't you just try to avoid Malfoy and his cronies? It would make my life a lot easier." She smiled to take the edge off her comment.

"He started it," Harry said sullenly.

Rinna's smile faded. "I didn't ask who started it. I asked if you could avoid confrontations with him if at all possible."

"Honestly, Professor, he goes out of his way to provoke us," Ron protested.

Rinna studied the two of them, her arms crossed. "I know. I saw it. I just don't want a repeat of the Snake Incident."

Ron smirked. "Don't like snakes?" he asked impudently.

"No, cheeky boy. As a matter of fact, I don't mind snakes at all. I just prefer not to tangle with more than, oh, a dozen at a time!" She grinned at them.

Harry looked at her, his expression still cross. "Malfoy was just sucking up to you, you know," he told his godmother.

Rinna mentally rolled her eyes. "Thank you for pointing that out, Harry. But as one who spent many an opportunity sucking up to teachers myself, I think I can recognize the maneuver," was her droll reply. She saw, of course, that Harry was jealous of the attention she'd given Draco. To him, the Slytherin boy would never be anything but a thorn in his side. She cocked her head thoughtfully. "I suppose it is a good thing that **you** don't have to resort to that with me, now isn't it? You know that you can stop by and talk brooms with me anytime, right?"

Thankfully, the megawatt smile made a come-back. "Just brooms?" he asked mischievously.

She grinned again. "Brooms, Quidditch, girls… whatever. I'd say any topic is fair game."

"Thanks, Rinna," he said, blushing a bit at her mention of girls before taking Ron's elbow and heading back to his task.

Rinna sighed in relief and wondered if Hooch had any more of that espresso. She decided to investigate.

* * *

Rinna was on her pre-curfew rounds when she heard the rabble that was the Gryffindor Quidditch team making its way into the castle after a Friday evening practice. She wound her way down the marble staircase, smiling at the flushed and happy faces. The last two weekends of intramural Quidditch and informal matches between the house teams had been just what was needed to curb the restlessness of the teenaged population of Hogwarts.

"Hi, Professor Dunlevy!"

"Well, well, it looks like the Lions will be ready to roar tomorrow against Ravenclaw, I dare say!" she responded. There were boisterous shouts and cheers to the affirmative. "Unfortunately, I won't be there to see the action, I'm afraid," she added regretfully.

"What?" demanded George Weasley. "Why not?"

"Well, I have the weekend off, you see," she explained. At the loud protests, she placed her hands on her hips. "As hard as this may be to believe, there is such a thing as needing a break from all of you!"

Fred grasped at his chest dramatically. "What a cruel thing to say! You have wounded us deeply."

"I'm sure you'll get over it," was Rinna's dry reply. The Gryffindors laughed and began moving up the stairs to their dorms, but Harry hung back a bit.

"Are you really not going to be there tomorrow?" he asked quietly. He'd been looking forward to discussing the matches with her again, like they'd done last week.

"I'm afraid so, Harry. I'm sorry, but I have other plans."

Harry grinned cheekily. "Your plans wouldn't include my godfather, now would they?"

She narrowed her eyes at him in a mock scowl. "You're a nosy thing, aren't you? As a matter of fact, they just might."

"You've been seeing him, haven't you?" he asked eagerly.

The almost desperate look on his face made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. She had quite forgotten that Harry had been so hopeful for her and Sirius to make up. She could sense how important it still was to him. "To be honest, Harry, not nearly enough." She chuckled when his eyes grew wide at her confession. "That's why I'm so keen to have this weekend off; I just haven't had the time lately to spend with him, short of grabbing a few hours here and there…"

"But you _are_ back together, aren't you?" Harry's voice was full of hope.

Rinna put her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "We've agreed to give it a go. There, are you happy now?"

Rinna was surprised to see one of those looks that made the wearer appear older and wiser than his years cross Harry's features, as he nodded sagely before asking, dead serious, "Are you?" His expectant eyes searched Rinna's face.

Her smile softened as she returned his gaze steadily, her brows creasing pensively. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, Harry, I am."

The audacious grin returned. "And I'll bet that S--, uh, Snuffles is, too!"

She cuffed him lightly on the shoulder. "Off with you, insolent scamp, before I take points for being out after curfew!"

Harry could hear the suppressed laughter in her voice. "Well, have a nice weekend!" He waved cheerily and took the steps two at a time in an attempt to catch up to his teammates.

* * *

"You see, Sirius?" said Remus Lupin as he heard the whoosh that indicated someone had flooed in. "I told you not to expect her before noon. The woman keeps abominable hours."

"Ha ha. You are hilarious, Lupin," retorted the red-head who walked into the kitchen. "I'll have you know that I was out shopping." She set her shopping bags on the counter after applying the un-shrinking charm, and started to put the groceries away.

Sirius got up from the table, where he'd been leaning lazily back in his chair watching Remus prepare lunch, to help. "What's this?" he asked, taking some odd packets out.

Rinna seized them from his hand with a yelp, "Careful with those! They're some rather delicate potions ingredients!"

"Darklings & Grimm? Never heard of them. They must be new to Diagon Alley, I suppose," commented Sirius.

Remus looked over his shoulder from where he stood at the counter, giving Rinna the raised eyebrow before asking her casually, "Doing more brewing than just the Wolfsbane, I take it?"

"I have another private commission," she answered evasively.

Sirius was surprised by the defensiveness in her tone, and he looked curiously from one to the other. "What's wrong with that?" he asked Remus.

"Nothing," Remus replied evenly. "I'm just curious as to what kind of potion requires you to shop for ingredients in Knockturn Alley, that's all."

Sirius' eyebrows went up. "You went to Knockturn Alley?" he asked Rinna disapprovingly.

Rinna turned around to lean against the counter with an exasperated huff. "Oh, don't get your knickers all in a twist, you two! I can take care of myself, you know. I've been in far more dodgy places than Knockturn Alley when I was in Eastern Europe." _All right, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that._ She saw the nearly identical looks of fierce protectiveness on their faces; except that Sirius' also wore a trace of wariness. "I'm working on something for Dumbledore, if you must know," she sighed. "Does that make you feel any better?"

"Only slightly," Remus noted dryly.

Rinna looked at Sirius. "Come on, Blackie. Do you picture me nipping off to Knockturn on a regular basis for my weekly shopping spree of Hands of Glory and Pentacruxes?" she cajoled.

Sirius studied her, his arms crossed, frown on his face. "No, Rinna," he said quietly. "My overactive imagination pictures you being kidnapped by dark wizards and mistreated while I am completely unaware…"

Rinna's eyes grew round. "Oh," she whispered. "You know about that…" She turned not-quite-accusing eyes on Remus, who shrugged apologetically.

"You can't blame us for being concerned, Rinna," Remus commented. "Even if we know you can take care of yourself, we can't help it. It's a guy-thing."

"It's a territorial-_canis-lupis_-thing, more likely," she said flippantly, desperately covering the wealth of emotions that Sirius had just evoked. "Besides," she turned to Sirius, pulling out a long package from one of the bags and handing it to him, "if I hadn't gone there, I wouldn't have been able to get you this."

Sirius stared at the box in his hands; it was long and thin, the perfect size for a… "Is this a wand?" he asked incredulously. He opened it. Sure enough, nestled carefully in dark blue satin was a wand. "How did…"

Rinna gently pushed him into a chair, and sat next to him. "Look, the fact is that there are plenty of shops that won't keep records of who buys their wands. And there are plenty of excellent wand-crafters that just can't break into the market that Ollivander and Gregorovitch have cornered. This one," she took the wand from the box and twirled it, causing it to emit coppery sparks, "happened to be made by a first-rate craftsman in the Czech Republic. I've used his wands before; the quality is exceptional."

"And why would you need more than one wand, anyway?" Sirius questioned.

"For my research on my dissertation. It was on potions to counter dark curses, and I certainly couldn't use my own wand to cast any…" Her voice drifted off at the look on Sirius' face. _This was a mistake. He doesn't trust me. _

Sirius stared at Rinna in dismay. Not at the idea that she had actually cast dark curses, although that was something they would certainly need to add to the list of "things to talk over," nor even the knowledge that she knew how to get black-market wands, but at the thought that she was, to all intents and purposes, arming a wanted man. "You, you're…" his words jumbled up on his tongue.

_Huge mistake, Rinna girl_, she thought as she misinterpreted his reaction. "I'm sorry…" She stood up, slammed the wand into the box, and tried to pull it out of Sirius' hands.

"Rinna, wait!" He rose, but held onto it tightly. "Just wait, please?" She let go of the box. "It's just that…" He ran his hand through his hair. "It's just that, you realize what a risk you are taking, don't you? It's one thing to harbor a fugitive, and you'll be in enough trouble for that… but arming one? You jeopardize everything you've worked for!"

She glared at him; her chin tilted stubbornly, her eyes nearly shooting sparks in her defiance. "I DON"T CARE! Don't you see?" Her eyes flicked to the wand in his hands and back. "Sod the law! I love you!"

There was a beat of silence before Sirius took the one step necessary to close the distance between them, and swept her into his arms, crushing his lips to hers in a fierce kiss. "If anything happened to you because of me…" he began gruffly, only to be cut off by her mouth covering his once again.

The doorbell rang, and Remus leapt for the kitchen door with alacrity. "Talk about being saved by the bell," he muttered. Sirius and Rinna broke apart with a laugh.

"Who could it be?" Rinna wondered.

"My chameleon cousin, here to join us for lunch, of course," Sirius grinned.

----- -----

"So, Remus," said Nymphadora Tonks as the four left the kitchen, "I was wondering… I have a case that I could use your expertise on…"

"Really?" said Remus, as if this was news to him. "I'd be happy to lend my assistance."

"Brilliant!" Tonks grinned before her expression turned thoughtful. "But I'm afraid I've left the files on my table at home."

"Oh. Oh well, I suppose I could come by there to help you out…" Remus offered, glancing at Tonks and holding her gaze meaningfully before striding to the closet to fetch his coat.

Tonks beamed, color high in her cheeks. "Would you? That'd be ace! And for your trouble, I'm going to take you to see that folk quartet I was telling you about. They are playing at the little Muggle pub down the street tonight."

Remus took her coat and draped it over his on his arm. "That sounds like an excellent plan to me." He placed his hand on the small of her back, causing her blush to deepen. He gently led her to the fireplace, and with a quick wave, the two were gone to Tonks' flat in a flare of green flame.

Rinna turned to Sirius who was leaning with his arms crossed against the doorframe to the kitchen. "That was rather odd… I suppose they were discreetly trying to give us some time alone?" Her eyebrows pulled together quizzically.

A smile played at his lips. "I suppose so. But I think it more likely they were trying to give _themselves_ some time alone." Sirius saw an incredulous look take over her face as her mouth dropped open, and he made a little choking cough. "You mean to tell me that you didn't know that Remus was spending no small amount of time in the company of my little cousin?"

"What?" Rinna glanced at him suspiciously. "Really? Dorrie failed to mention that…" She saw that Sirius was not pulling her leg. "You're not joking." He shook his head. "Oh." She tried to recover her composure. "Well… That's just… well…"

Sirius started chuckling. Rinna frowned at him. "You're laughing at me because I was a little slow on the uptake, aren't you?" His bark-like laughter rang out. "All right, I'll admit you caught me by surprise. Although I'm not sure why I should be surprised, really. After all, they went together to the Quidditch World Cup… and Dorrie has fancied him for ages… And sweet Merlin, that excuse she just used sounded remarkably like the old 'I left my textbook back on the Astronomy Tower and I need your help to go find it' line."

Sirius chortled a few more moments before he flicked his gaze back to her. He saw several emotions play across her face, all too quickly for him to read. "Are you sure you're okay about this?" he asked.

"About my two best friends possibly, uh…" She clamped down on the sudden twinge in her heart. _Jealous, are you, you selfish thing? You yourself said that Remus deserves the love of a good woman, and Dorrie is…_ "Dorrie is one of the best people I know. As is Remus. And besides, people who are in love have that silly desire for everyone around them to be in love, too. So…" She paused to tell her heart that she _really_ meant what she was about to say. "I'm happy for them."

A roguish grin crossed his face. "Are you saying you are in love, Ruby-Red?" he asked softly, still leaning indolently in the doorway. A subtle undertone in his voice seemed to charge the air in the room. His blue eyes held her gaze.

The twinge Rinna felt _this_ time was different; oh, her heart could play its fickle little games, but it could not escape the fact that _this_ man was truly the one who held it captive. She had gladly surrendered it many years ago, and she would gladly do so again.

"Why yes I am, Blackie," she answered with a sultry smile. "And isn't it convenient that I find I am completely by myself with the object of my affection?" She stepped forward, moving dangerously close to him.

His voice was husky. "Rather convenient, indeed," he agreed. "So tell me, what do you intend to do with me, now that you have me all alone, Ruby-Red?"

She looked at him appraisingly. The hair was long, _well, it looks good on him that way, _but needed trimming; the beard, _still not sure how I feel about that,_ unkempt. _Might be sexy if it was trimmed…except it hides the angle of his jaw. _She had always loved his jaw line. He was thin, so thin. No longer the muscular young man she had known. Azkaban had seen to that. The thought stabbed her heart.

"You need cosseting, love." She took his hand and gently tugged him towards her bedroom. He shook his head with a quizzical smile, taken off guard by her unexpected response, but followed her. She led him into her bathroom.

Sirius watched her as she pulled towels from the cabinet and turned. It was an unnerving feeling; she seemed familiar and yet so strange to him. He knew her so well, and yet, didn't really know her at all. Not anymore. That much was made obvious by their scene in the kitchen earlier. He drank her in, wanting her and apprehensive at the same time.

"I believe you already know where the shower is," she said with an impish smile, handing him the towels. "Make it hot, lots of steam. You need to soften up all the hair on your face."

"Hang on. What are you planning?"

She grinned, raised an eyebrow and cocked her head toward the alcove with the shower. "Move it, Blackie."

She listened to the water run as she made her preparations. She set up a chair near the vanity, and conjured all the items she needed. _He's not ten feet from me, water running down his body, hair slicked back… _Her pulse quickened. She felt an odd pressure in her chest, like her heart was straining against her ribs in a mad attempt to escape. _Escape what?_ She froze. Very gently, her mind told her: _Escape the prison you built around it. _

She took a deep breath and nodded. This was right, this was what was supposed to be, and no walls, no amount of time away, not even the hurt or pain could make her heart stop feeling what it was now. _Sirius…_ he was real, he was here and she was blessedly being given a second chance, one that she would NOT let pass her by...

Clouds of steam billowed like fog on a cold morning. The water shut off. Sirius emerged with a towel slung around his waist and with another he was drying his hair. He stopped when he saw the set up, and raised an eyebrow.

"Just shut it and get over here," she smirked.

"What--? I didn't say anything…"

"I hope for your sake, Mr. Black, that you do not plan on being contrary."

"Depends on what you have in mind..."

"First we modify your hirsute appearance." She nudged him into the chair.

"Mmmm. You know I love it when you use big words, Professor. S'matter, not attracted to the shaggy look?"

"On Snuffles, maybe…"

She had him hold a warm, moist towel to his face while she cut his hair. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of her hands in his hair. Then she took the towel away, and applied cream to his face. Her touch was slow and gentle.

He heard her murmur an incantation and opened his eyes to see her holding an old-fashioned straight razor. His eyes locked onto hers in the mirror. She smirked again and said "I charmed it so it will cut only hair, not skin. Don't know how steady my hands will be around you."

"Wouldn't this be easier with magic?" He eyed the razor warily.

"Easier, yes. But trust me; this will be far more enjoyable. You'll see. Now shut it."

Wisely, he said no more. She stood behind him, leaned his head back against her belly and carefully scraped the razor across his face, wiping away shaving cream with gentle caresses of the towel, or her hand. Sirius lost himself in the pleasure of her ministrations.

"Huh." Rinna grunted in satisfaction at her handiwork. He lifted his head and looked in the mirror. His face looked painfully thin, no longer hidden in whiskers. His hand unconsciously went to his chin.

"Very smooth," he complimented.

She rubbed her knuckles across his cheek and smiled. "Flattery is _always_ appreciated, Blackie," she said in a husky voice.

He made to grasp her hand, but she pulled it away. "Ah ah ah…I am not done with you yet!" she said saucily. His eyebrows went up. She poured some lotion in her hands and warmed it. She stood behind him again and placed her hands on his shoulders and proceeded to massage every taut muscle. Her hands found each tender spot and meticulously pressed and prodded, rubbed and glided until the tension melted away. She moved on to his shoulder blades, spending many minutes there, then his upper chest, then his neck, and his arms. Finally, she took each hand and caressed the pressure points that she knew would bring relaxation.

Sirius felt his thoughts and emotions dissolve into mist as his awareness narrowed to only the perception of her hands on his skin. How long had it been since someone had _really_ touched him? He had had no human contact in Azkaban, and really none since his escape. Well, except for occasional hugs and claps on the back, of course, not to mention some satisfying, albeit brief, snogging with the woman whose talented hands were now touching him. But all of those were fleeting contacts compared to this constancy of skin on skin. He reveled in the sheer sensuality of it; not in a carnal way, but in an even deeper consciousness of the human need for nurture and connection with another human being.

Rinna let go of his hand, and trailed her fingers up his arm, along his shoulder blades and across his collar bone never breaking contact with him as she circled around in front of him. His eyes were closed, his face peaceful. She felt her heart stutter in her chest. _He looks beautiful._

She placed a hand on each side of his neck where it met the collar bones and straddled him, sitting on his lap. Blue eyes flew open, startled, and looked into green. "What are you doing?" It came out more high-pitched than he intended it. She leaned her forehead against his, her hand caressing his smooth cheek. His breath hitched. S_he is so close, smells so good_.

"I'm trying to seduce you," she said, her voice deep and sultry.

Of their own volition, one of his hands moved to the small of her back, the other to her face. The base of his thumb rested at the corner of her mouth, his index and middle finger held her earlobe, while the last two fingers rested on her neck. She turned into his hand, grazing her lips back and forth against his palm where the thumb joined his hand. He swallowed hard.

"How am I doing so far?" Her breath brushed his lips.

"Brilliantly," he sighed, and their lips met.

In that instant, coherent thought dissipated like smoke in the wind. The kiss was sweet and tender, and almost…reverent. It seared Rinna to her soul, and burned away any awareness other than his mouth on hers. It was as if they had never kissed before; lips hesitant, testing, assessing. Soon, though, their bodies began to respond to the memory of kisses past. The tentativeness disappeared, and Sirius took her face in his hands and peppered her lips with gently insistent kisses, simultaneously sweet and demanding.

She opened her mouth, teasing his lips with her tongue, pleading for entrance to his alluring mouth. He complied eagerly. The reverence was gone, replaced by fiery kisses that implied desire and longing, decadence and ardor. Their world had been reduced to clashing tongues, passionate glances and roaming hands. Rinna felt like she was flying, and yet at the same time, she was drowning in the heat of his mouth, his gaze and his touch. She willed it to never end.

The inevitable need for oxygen finally exerted itself and they pulled away from each other, breaths raggedy and frantic and only millimeters apart. "Rinna," Sirius gasped, "we need to get up…from this chair…legs are going numb."

She grinned and said with mock-incredulity, "Are you saying my kisses leave you numb?"

"Oh no, m'lady," a flirtatious smile played at his lips, "your kisses electrify me like lightning."

She leaned forward and pulled at his bottom lip with hers. "Well they had…" she kissed his top lip, "ruddy well…" and tugged at it with her teeth, "better, mister!" Her tongue ran across his bottom lip as she stood up, eliciting a groan from him, and he followed her mouth upwards. The towel, which was, fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, charmed to stay wrapped around his hips, did nothing to hide just how electrified he was.

Sirius quickly hooked one arm around Rinna's waist and pulled her against him while his other hand grasped her jaw and drew her mouth to his. Rinna slid her hands up his chest and around his neck and deepened the kiss.

She began maneuvering him toward the bedroom, walking him backwards while keeping his mouth captive, but somehow missed the door and ended up knocking Sirius against the door frame, wrenching their lips apart. He let out a startled huff of breath. She started to giggle. Sirius mock-scowled at her, "Merlin's knickers, woman, is this your idea of seduction? Braining me on a door frame?"

She attempted a smirk through her laughter. "If it will keep you from being so mouthy…"

"Mouthy?" he growled, "I'll show you mouthy!" He swiftly spun Rinna around, grabbed her wrists with one hand and pulled them up over her head, pinning her to the door frame. He pressed his hips against her body and held her there, cupping the back of her head with the other hand. He proceeded to thoroughly ravage her mouth with his. Rinna moaned appreciatively and parted her lips, allowing his tongue to dance with hers.

The heat from her mouth, the softness of her lips, the sounds she was making deep in her throat lit every nerve in Sirius' body with desire. He traced her jaw line with kisses, nibbling and licking at her earlobe. He let go of her wrists and slipped his hand to the small of her back, under the hem of her shirt. Her skin was soft and hot under his hand. She threaded her fingers through his hair and hungrily pulled his mouth back to hers. He groaned and pulled her closer against him and let out a hiss when he felt her hips rock against his. Her knees turned to jelly when he growled against her ear, "Keep that up, Ruby, and I'm not gonna last much longer."

She looked up at him, pure mischief on her face, as her hand undid the towel. His breath hitched at her touch. "You are trying to push me over the edge, aren't you, you minx!"

"Blackie, Blackie," she chided teasingly, "you are too far gone for anything to last more that a few seconds, and I'll be damned if the first time we make love in thirteen years is nothing but a quickie!" She led him back to the chair where it all started. "Let me take care of you, baby," she said in a husky whisper, and proceeded to put action to her words.

----- -----

When Sirius' higher cognitive functions began working again, he opened his eyes and came face to face with the button of Rinna's jeans. With a cheeky grin he looked up at her and murmured "There appears to be a problem with these jeans."

She arched an eyebrow at him and played along, grinning, "Oh, really? What seems to be the problem?"

"The problem is…they are still on you!" Fortunately, he was happy to gallantly remedy the situation for her. He undid the button and zipper, and then slipped his hands inside the waistband and slowly began to slide them down over her hips. She did a provocative little wriggle to help shimmy the denims off her body, and stepped out of them, kicking them to the side. Sirius ran his hands along the smooth skin that was exposed below her shirt, reveling in the texture and warmth of it. Seeing no reason to deny himself any longer, Sirius began kissing her belly, her navel, moving down her body...

His mouth moved over her, enchanting her body, ensnaring her senses with his own brand of magic. She felt the warmth coiling deep within her like a serpent ready to strike, and moaned. He stood and claimed her mouth with his, lifting her right leg and wrapping it around his waist. She gasped at the intimate contact, and pulled her face away, looking into his sapphire eyes that were almost black with desire. She felt like molten lava, hot and pliable in his hands. This was comfortingly familiar: this spell he wove over her with just a touch of his lips and fingers, and just a look from his eyes. It had been far, far too long since she'd been under this particular ensorcellment.

She returned to his lips, voraciously kissing them as if she was speaking in a language only he could understand, leaving no doubt in his mind as to how much she wanted him. He reached for her knickers, and with a guttural sound, he tore them off her.

"Mmmm. Feeling a bit randy, are we?" she panted.

"Yes, damn it, Rinna;" he said heatedly, "I need you."

With one wave of his arm he swept the items from her vanity and lifted her there. She pulled him to her and again she kissed him deeply, pouring all she was feeling into the kiss. Her passion was met by his, and they were consumed by desperate, willful desire.

Their first coupling was heated, frantic, passionate…

----- -----

Rinna rested her forehead against his as her breathing finally returned to a somewhat normal rate. "Damn!" was all she could say.

He grinned and kissed her gently. "Damn," he agreed.

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her tightly, and burying his face in her hair. Her hands moved to his waist, then slid up his back as she pressed herself to him, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder. Now that he was her lover again, she would be damned if she didn't take every opportunity she had to hold him close. She began to nibble on his neck. Her lips found his pulse point, and she flicked it with her tongue. She spent the next few minutes lavishing attention on his neck, his shoulders, his chest.

Desire stirred in him again; she felt the tell-tale sign and smiled in anticipation, taking his hand. "Come on," she whispered, her hand trembling a little as he grasped hers firmly.

"Where are we going?" He asked innocently, but the effect was ruined by the wicked gleam in his eye.

"Sirius Black, we are not in school anymore. There is no reason to be shagging desperately against a broom closet wall or on a bathroom sink when I have a perfectly good bed in the next room!"

He leered at her, enjoying the memories her words had summoned to his mind. "Yes ma'am!" He swung her up in his arms, marching them into her bedroom. Sirius carefully set her on the side of her bed and promptly tumbled in with her as she pulled him down. He grumbled, "I was going to take off your shirt, you wanton hussy!"

"Call me names, will you?" she growled, "You'll pay for that, you know!" She rolled him onto his back, climbed on top of him and enticingly removed her shirt and bra. He groaned his approval. She proceeded to kiss him thoroughly all over his body again. He retaliated decisively by reversing their positions and kissing her in kind. She finally reached for his head and pulled his lips back up to hers. He sighed, and stretched out next to her, skin against skin, and buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent.

"Sirius," she breathed. He knew from experience that when she used his given name he should attend closely. "I haven't been complete without you."

Her endearing words flooded him with passion far deeper than any of the flirtatious banter had.

The second time they made love was slow and tender and sweet…

------ ------

Sirius stirred into wakefulness and, sensing darkness, unfamiliar surroundings and hot weight pressing him down, stiffened momentarily in panic. Rinna moved against him and murmured, "You all right?"

He felt her warm skin against his, her leg thrown possessively over him, her hand on his upper arm, her head on his chest, soft short hair tickling his chin. For a terrifying moment he thought, _this isn't happening. This is a fantasy you have invoked with your mind. She will never be yours again._

"Are you real?" he whispered. "If I open my eyes, will you still be here?"

"Always…" she breathed as she pressed her lips and body to his.

**

* * *

A/N: Woo hoo! My story is over 100,000 words now! Help me celebrate by leaving a review!**

**Don't ask me what a "pentacrux" actually is (even though I made it up). All I know is it isn't quite as evil as a horcrux. I asked Rinna to explain it to me, but she was somewhat, ahem, occupied with a certain sexy outlaw and completely ignored me! **

**Big smooches and hugs to all the people who reviewed my last chapter: Kerichi (it took days to get the Phil Collins song out of my head!), twcklver1, Coryna, Kerrie the-scary-girl-next-door (you ROCK, darling!), Thunderdragon4, Lorett (the best beta in the whole wide world), SJ, Abril and SiriusRulez. **

**You, too, can garner a few hugs and kisses and my undying affection (not to mention invoke loud squeals of glee) if you would kindly leave a review for this chapter! Thanks!**

21


	18. Halloween

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 18: Halloween**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe. I just like to manipulate them, like a puppeteer. Any characters, places, situations, or spells/hexes that you don't find in her fabulous books, well now, those are mine… mine, mine, all mine, bwa ha ha! **

**Shout out: My Beta, Lorett, is the BEST! (And I love her to infinity and beyond!) **

* * *

On the evening of Friday, the 30th of October, the entire population of Hogwarts students was assembled at the top of the lawns which afforded an unhindered view of the grounds and the lake. Rinna could feel the thrum of excitement as countless bodies struggled to keep still in anticipation of the arrival of the groups from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Rinna herself was impressed at the arrival of the huge Beauxbatons carriage, and with the sudden appearance of the Durmstrang ship in the lake. She was sure her grin was as wide as any enthusiastic first year's there.

However, the smile slid off her face faster than wax dripped from a candle at the sight of the man leading the Durmstrang students to the castle. A voice hissed in her ear: "What do you make of that?"

She whirled to find Mad-Eye Moody at her left side, squinting grimly at Igor Karkaroff. She unceremoniously grabbed the man's elbow and pulled him in the castle doors and to a shadowy corner of the entrance hall. "Karkaroff was sent to Azkaban," she insisted in a low voice.

"Ah, but later he made a deal with the Ministry. He named names…" Moody informed her dourly. "He bought his freedom."

Rinna looked incredulous. "And he was allowed to become the Headmaster of Durmstrang? I know the school has a reputation for Dark Arts, but would its Board of Governors hire a known Death Eater?"

"Says he's reformed from his Death Eater ways," Moody's voice was drenched in bitterness.

Her face was creased with skepticism. "I suppose it could be true…" she said slowly.

Moody brusquely cut in. "Arinna, do you honestly believe that people change their ways?" He eyed her as if she was a naïve little girl.

She studied him keenly. She and Moody had not agreed over much all those years ago. Some things didn't change, it seemed. But… Rinna thought about Severus Snape, who'd apparently defected from the Death Eaters during the war, and conversely, she remembered with no small amount of sorrow Peter Pettigrew, who'd given himself over to darkness. "I do believe that people can change their ways…if they _choose_ to do so," she said softly. Moody snorted. "We all have free will, after all, Moody."

The ring of the footsteps of the Durmstrang delegation on the stone floor of the entrance hall interrupted them, and they stood quietly in the shadows as the group passed by, Karkaroff in the lead, heading into the Great Hall. The Hogwarts students began to stream in noisily, so Rinna had to lean in very close to Moody to add, "But that doesn't mean that I won't be keeping a close eye on Karkaroff."

Moody grunted. "Good. For a moment there, I thought you'd traded in your shrewd smarts for touchy-feely sensibility."

Rinna frowned as she entered the Great Hall and followed Moody to the head table. There was something slightly off the mark about the conversation she'd just had with the old Auror, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it… However, the feast and the subsequent opening of the Triwizard Tournament pushed the niggling thought out of her mind.

* * *

Halloween night found Rinna at the edge of her seat at the staff table, barely able to eat as she waited in anticipation for the presentation of the Triwizard Champions. She had spent the morning quietly observing in the entrance hall as students began to place their names in the Goblet of Fire. All of the Hogwarts students who entered were in her sixth or seventh year D.A.D.A. classes. (Several of them who had defied Dumbledore's age line went to the hospital wing with beards, much to the amusement of those watching.) Privately, Rinna ranked each applicant as they nervously stepped forward, but in the end, she was glad it wasn't she who was making the decision; there were just too many capable and talented students to choose from. And soon, she would know which of her students would represent the school. She couldn't believe that she could be this wound up over a contest. _Not just any contest, silly. These champions will be facing real danger, and you are going to be biting your nails over them until the end of the tournament._ In the short time she'd been teaching, she reflected, she'd become rather fond of the student body of Hogwarts. Most of the time.

The cheering and applause at the announcement of Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff as Hogwarts' Champion was deafening. Rinna grinned and clapped enthusiastically. Cedric was a fine choice, in her opinion. He was an excellent and talented student, _and besides_, she thought, _it is high time the Badgers got some of the glory. _The handsome young man made his way to the room behind the staff table, a huge smile on his face.

The joyful enthusiasm that filled the Great Hall was short-lived, however, for something strange was transpiring. The Goblet of Fire turned red a fourth time, shooting out an arm of flame with a fourth slip of paper, and Rinna was seized by a cold frisson of apprehension. This was not supposed to happen. Her eyes, along with every one else's, were riveted to Dumbledore as he stared at the slip in his hand for what seemed an interminable amount of time. Rinna truly was not prepared to hear him read the name on the slip: "Harry Potter."

For a moment, the only sound to be heard in the Great Hall was the rustle of hundreds of heads whipping around to stare at the boy at the Gryffindor table. Rinna's mouth was open in stunned surprise as she watched Harry turn to his friends blankly. Minerva had rushed down to Dumbledore and was muttering to him fiercely, and still, Rinna could not move; she felt as if she'd been struck by the Lead-Limb Hex. Dumbledore called Harry forward, and the bewildered boy made his way up the long tables. Rinna watched the scene unfold like one of those slow-motion sequences in a Muggle film while the low-pitched drone of angry and astounded whispers seemed to distort and fade, as if she was under water. _By all the moons of Jupiter, how could this have happened? _She wanted to jump up and protest, but the strange lassitude held her to her seat.

Rinna could only watch in shock as Dumbledore prompted Harry to move through the door behind the staff table and join the other Triwizard Champions. Then suddenly Harry was passing by her and the sound of the whispering students rushed back to her ears as the room returned to normal speed. She schooled her features to something that she hoped was reassuring, because he looked absolutely stunned; like a bunny before a hungry hippogriff.

She watched the door, waiting for her opportunity to slip into it, because the Godmother part of her was hysterically demanding that she get her sorry arse in there this instant and _do something_, for the love of Merlin! Ludo Bagman went through the door, and was soon followed by Dumbledore, Maxime, Karkaroff, Barty Crouch, McGonagall and Snape. The door closed behind them, and the buzzing of amazed chatter grew louder. Now that attention was away from the Head Table, Rinna rose and unobtrusively made her way to the door, opened it and slipped in stealthily.

She crept into the room unnoticed, and, preferring not to draw attention to her presence, she took up residence standing just beyond the ring of light to observe. Karkaroff was ranting about the age line, but Severus broke in, "It's no one's fault but Potter's, Karkaroff. Don't go blaming Professor Dumbledore for Potter's determination to break the rules. He has been crossing lines ever since he arrived here…" Snape's words were drenched in bitterness and malice. ()

Dumbledore had turned to question Harry, and Rinna was relieved to see that Harry looked the Headmaster right in the eye, and vehemently denied putting his name in or asking an older student to do it for him. During the heated argument among the adults that followed, Rinna observed her godson with concern. He still had that wide-eyed stunned expression for the most part, but seemed a bit perturbed that he was being accused of lying. She spun around when she heard the door open behind her. Alastor Moody merely looked at her and grunted as he brushed past her into the room.

Harry was trying to devote his attention to what was being said by the grown-ups, figuring that they weren't likely to censor their words when they were all worked up like that. He hoped to find out something useful to help him figure out exactly what had just happened. He felt an odd feeling, like someone was watching him, and his eyes swept around the room. The other students were glued to the argument that all the adults were having. His eyes caught a shape, standing closest to the door, just beyond the penumbra of light cast by the lanterns. He inhaled sharply. It was his godmother; she was watching him intently with a rather impenetrable expression on her face.

For one fraction of a second, Harry thought that it was Rinna who had put his name in the Goblet of Fire. Moody was ranting that it had to have been some skilled witch or wizard who put Harry's name in the Goblet with the intention of having him killed. But the moment Harry saw the look of fear and maternal horror that crossed Rinna's features, he immediately dismissed the idea. She was every inch the concerned godmother. He started to mouth something to her, but she shook her head, touched her finger to her lips, and then cupped her ear, indicating she wanted to concentrate on what was being said.

Harry had to return his attention to Mr. Crouch to hear his instructions, so he missed seeing the color drain from Rinna's face when the students were told they were not allowed to ask for or receive help from their teachers. _Damn it,_ she thought to herself, _he's too young. He hasn't learned enough yet to make it through these tasks! How in the hell can I keep him safe if they tie my hands like this?_

Rinna painted on an impassive expression as Barty Crouch left, and Madame Maxime and her protégé swept by, followed by Karkaroff and Viktor Krum. Karkaroff fixed her with a dark glare, to which she merely raised her eyebrow.

Dumbledore directed Harry and Cedric Diggory to return to their respective common rooms, suggesting that their Houses should not be deprived of a chance to celebrate. Harry hesitated slightly, until Dumbledore added, "Arinna, would you be kind enough to remain here a few moments?" He would have to talk to his godmother tomorrow it seemed.

When the boys had left, McGonagall rounded on Rinna with a slightly outraged expression. "What are you doing here, Arinna?" she demanded.

Rinna crossed her arms and scowled. "Isn't it obvious, Minerva?" she snapped. "I was eavesdropping. Although, I don't think that it can technically be called 'eavesdropping' if I was standing in plain sight. 'Observing,' perhaps?"

Dumbledore smoothly intervened. "Ludo, my good man, would you mind terribly waiting in the Great Hall for a few moments? I should like to have a word with my staff here."

"Of course not," replied a rather jovial (annoyingly and inappropriately jovial, in Rinna's opinion) Ludo Bagman as he stepped out of the room.

Rinna moved closer to Dumbledore, her green eyes snapping in anger. "Please tell me you are not serious about letting Harry compete in this Tournament! Since when do you lead lambs to the slaughter, Albus?"

Dumbledore looked at his youngest teacher with concern. "Now Arinna," he said gently, "I know you are worried about young Harry, but you heard what Barty said. As soon as his name came out of the Goblet, Harry was bound to compete. I'm afraid there is nothing I can do." Dumbledore's eyes dropped to the floor, fatigue and worry lining his face.

"Bound to compete…" she sputtered, "But… each student entered into a binding magical contract only if he or she put his or her _own_ name on the paper! The contract can't possibly be binding if someone _else_ put a champion's name in the Goblet! Please tell me there was some provision made for that possibility, Albus!" Once again, Rinna's mouth dropped open in horror as she saw by the looks on Dumbledore's and McGonagall's faces that, indeed, no such stipulation had been made. "Sweet mother of Merlin!" she whispered, before she steeled her voice and said louder, "Harry Potter did NOT put his name in that Goblet!"

Snape made a sound of disbelief causing Rinna to whip around and fix him with a dangerous look. The Potions professor was markedly reminded of a dragon ready to protect its clutch. His eyes narrowed in speculation.

"I'm sorry, Arinna, but there is nothing I can do," Dumbledore repeated quietly.

Rinna's anger had been ignited by fear for her godson, but Dumbledore's apparent reticence seemed to fuel it further. She looked back to him and retorted, "Well, you could have at least protested that ridiculous rule that champions can not accept help from a teacher…"

Snape gave a derisive snort. "Apparently you still hold rules in contempt then, Arinna? You have much in common with young Potter. But then, you had much in common with the elder Potter and his cronies back in school, didn't you?"

Rinna ground her teeth. Snape was never going to let go of that old hatred, was he? It was blinding him now to seeing how unfair it was to ask a mere fourteen-year-old to compete against students who had twice as much training. Well, she wasn't afraid to raise holy hell to the roof of the Great Hall if she had to. "I'm just saying," she said through a clenched jaw, "that the rule puts Harry at an unfair disadvantage. He's had only half the education the others have…"

Minerva interrupted. "She's right, Albus. Something has to be done."

Snape threw up his hands in exasperation and glared balefully at the two women. "Don't you understand? There is nothing that can be done. The Tournament has started. It must be allowed to play out to the end." He glanced at Dumbledore, who still looked haggard. "And if any solution to this most distressing turn of events is to be found, be assured that our esteemed Headmaster will be the one to find it. But not if you insist on yammering at him like harpies!"

McGonagall pulled her chin up in a huff. "Well!"

Rinna shot Snape her best killing glare. She hated it, but he was right, damn it. The greasy git. She took a deep breath, and exhaled, forcing herself to calm down. She turned to the Headmaster, her heart breaking a little to see him so worn with care. "Forgive me, Albus, for losing my temper. I'm afraid I'm not able to be very objective right now," she said humbly.

"It is completely understandable that you are apprehensive for Harry, Arinna. I assure you that I respect the maternal instinct that prompted your behavior here tonight." He looked at her seriously. "I will do my best to not fail you, or him."

Rinna's voice broke a little. "Of course you will. I would never believe otherwise." She turned to nod at the others, and Moody cast her an inscrutable look. She left in a swirl of robes.

She was halfway through the now-empty Great Hall before she heard her name called. She turned abruptly around to face the brooding figure of the Potions professor. "What do you want?" she gritted out. Hadn't he been insufferable enough for one evening?

He studied her with a shuttered expression. "Do you know that you are developing quite a reputation among the students for being fair, for not showing favoritism among the Houses? Why, most of them cannot even figure out what House you belonged to when you went to Hogwarts."

She looked at him sourly. "And your point is?"

"My point is… _that_ gives you a measure of power that I, or McGonagall, or any of the others really, will never have. It would be a shame, and I think I know you well enough to say it would go against your nature as well, to give away that power now." He raised a hand to forestall her retort. "I should have realized that you would favor Harry Potter. In fact, I don't know why it should surprise me that you would."

"Of course I would. He's my…" Rinna looked at Severus Snape's cold black eyes and remembered the malice that had riddled his diatribe about Harry earlier. She would not give Snape more ammunition against Harry. She modified what she was about to say. "He's my dearest friend's son. I cannot just stand by and do nothing while he is put in mortal danger."

"Certainly. I just hate to see positions of power compromised for the sake of mere sentimentality."

She looked at him icily. "Forgive me, Severus, if your definition of 'sentimentality' seems to coincide with my definition of 'loyalty and friendship.'"

Snape considered her a moment and nodded curtly. "I see that young Potter is yet another subject on which we must agree to disagree," he said impassively.

"Apparently," she replied scathingly before stalking out of the Great Hall.

----- -----

Rinna promptly exited the castle and began walking toward the lake, the thoughts and anxieties that had been neither nullified nor appeased by the confrontation with Dumbledore seething in her mind. How could she help Harry? How could she obtain information about the first task? How could this have happened? She stopped at the edge of the lake and shook her fists in frustration. _A fine job you did of taking care of Harry, Rinna!_ If only she'd been paying better attention, watching the Goblet for tampering. If only she had anticipated that something like this would happen. If only—

A rather loud splash broke into the ugly cycle of her thoughts, causing Rinna to jump. She huffed out a rueful little laugh at the sight of several large sucker-covered tentacles lifting out of the lake and slapping playfully on the water surface in succession. At least the giant squid had shaken her from her pointless musings. She'd learned from experience that playing the "if only game" was a useless endeavor. To be sure, she could not have predicted any of these happenings. But now, she needed to think, needed to sort things out. There was _no way_ she was letting Harry face this alone, Tournament rules be damned.

She sat down on a rock by the edge of the water and let out a growl of aggravation. She was annoyed with herself for tipping her hand to Snape. He'd surely be watching for any signs of her helping Harry now, and would take great delight in declaring Harry a cheat. Damn him! And damn his childhood grudges that he just couldn't seem to let go of. And this line of thinking was just another fast train to nowhere… _Think, Rinna, think! You need some way of getting information, and passing it to Harry that cannot be traced back to you. You need some cunning, sneaky, crafty, ingenious plan…_

Cunning. Crafty. Sneaky. Ingenious…

Rinna snapped her fingers. "This sounds like a job for a Marauder," she said out loud. And it was a damn good thing she knew just where to find some…

She almost laughed out loud in relief. Remus and Sirius would help, she had no doubt. But she quickly sobered when she realized that she would need to be careful when she told them what happened. Sirius was likely to floo right into Hogwarts and do something drastic when he heard what kind of danger Harry was in. She somehow had to redirect Sirius, for everyone's sake. And to be fair to Dumbledore; after all, he'd already dealt with one angry godparent tonight.

A large wet splash was so close that she felt droplets of cold water on her face. She let out a little involuntary shriek and scrambled to higher ground. The squid was playing again. Well, she told herself, at least someone was enjoying himself (herself?) this wretched night. _This night…_ A memory whispered on the edge of her already frayed mind. _This night… Halloween… thirteen years… _She stood stock-still.

"Oh, Lily," Rinna whispered, stricken. "I'm so sorry. How could I have forgotten?"

* * *

"This year will be different, Padfoot," Remus said as he set out the glasses. "This year, you will join in a venerable tradition instead of spending Halloween alone."

Sirius looked skeptical. "How long have you and Rinna had this 'tradition'?" he queried.

"For the last two years."

"Two years. If it's only two years, Moony, how can it be a 'venerable tradition'? Don't traditions take decades to even become traditions?" Sirius crossed his arms and scowled. He knew what Remus was trying to do, but he'd marked the last twelve anniversaries on his own, immersed in bitterness and grief. He didn't think some little ritual was going to make him feel any better.

"Don't bother me with trifles, Padfoot. I think it is my prerogative to call it a tradition if I want to." Remus said testily as he opened the decanter.

Sirius stared glumly at the glass on the coffee table in front of him as Remus filled it, and waited until Remus had topped off his own glass before taking it in hand. He swirled the amber liquid thoughtfully, then lifted his eyes to look at his friend. "There's only half now, Moony," he said hoarsely.

Remus drew his brows together in confusion, thinking Sirius was referring to the firewhiskey. "What do you mean, half?"

"Half… as in, half!" Sirius said impatiently, frustrated when Remus didn't follow his explanation. "Half of the Marauders…" Sirius was relieved to see Remus' eyes widen in comprehension. "And… half of the Reds."

It was Remus' turn to swirl and contemplate his drink as he smiled wistfully, remembering the appellation that Sirius had assigned to Rinna and Lily in Fourth Year. He'd dubbed them "The Reds" much to the girls' annoyance, and the nickname had stuck. Of course, it hadn't been meant to be an endearment, but more of a taunt. So when the annoyance-factor had worn off a bit by some time in Fifth Year, and the need to differentiate which Red was being talked about or teased arose, Sirius simply added "Rose" to Lily's name, keeping in theme with flowers, and "Rose-Red" was born. Lily merely laughed and suggested he'd ripped it off from some Muggle fairy-tale book by the Brothers Grimm.

Remus remembered that it had taken much longer for Sirius to come up with a name for Rinna; he'd been rather stumped, unable to find anything fitting until one day, in some verbal skirmish that the two of them always seemed engaged in, Sirius had told Rinna she had a heart of stone. And, voila! She became "Ruby-Red" and Remus was quite sure that _that_ was the moment when Sirius had unwittingly started to fall for her…

"…wish she was here," Remus heard Sirius mumble. "She shouldn't be alone this night."

Remus pulled himself out of his reverie. "She's got the excitement of the Tournament to keep her occupied. _She'll_ at least be distracted tonight… Wish we had something to take our minds off of it, though."

"I thought that's what this is for," Sirius held up the decanter of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey and clinked it against Remus' glass.

Remus almost had the glass to his mouth when a loud whoosh from the fireplace startled him into splashing some of the firewhiskey on himself. And there before them was Rinna, as if their conversation had conjured her, picking herself up and dusting off her best teachers robes. "Starting without me, were you?" she admonished lightly.

Both men rose hastily to their feet. "We weren't expecting you, Rinna," Remus said quietly.

Sirius crossed to the fireplace and took Rinna's arm rather formally. "Why aren't you at Hogwarts? I thought it was a big night."

"Oh, it was," she was pleased she was able to keep the irony out of her voice. "But _this night_… I'd rather spend it with people who… who remember them the way I do, you know?"

Sirius walked her to the couch while Remus summoned another glass. Rinna shrugged out of her robes, and Sirius solicitously took them and laid them carefully on the back of a chair. Rinna sat and patted the couch next to her, indicating Sirius should sit with her. She gently placed her hand on his knee; she was glad he was here. Remus resumed his seat across the table in the armchair, and filled a glass for the latecomer.

A long silence filled the room as each person held their glass, as if by not saying anything, they could keep the anniversary at bay. "Look," Rinna finally said softly. "We have to acknowledge it; that thirteen years ago we lost our best friends. Because if we don't, it doesn't make it any less true. It doesn't stop the anniversary from passing."

Remus smiled slightly. "Isn't that what I said last year?"

"Yes," she replied. "At the time I thought is was bullocks."

"Oh, thanks so much—"

She interrupted him, "But now, I realize it was very wise, and very accurate."

"So what do we do?" Sirius asked.

Remus answered, "We each make a toast to their memory." He raised his glass. "To James and Lily; two of the finest people I have ever known. You were taken from us too soon, and because of that, there is a void in our lives that will never be filled." Three glasses went from outstretched arms to lips.

Sirius cleared his throat. He knew that he could be eloquent, but not tonight. This "tradition" was too new, and too emotional for him. "To Prongs and Rosie," he said roughly, lifting his glass. "Merlin, I miss you."

"To my dearest Lil and Jamesy," Rinna felt her throat start to close. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of you…" Her voice became choked with tears. Sirius squeezed her knee comfortingly. "…and how I should have been there." She heard Remus make a small noise of protest. She knew what he would say, and he'd be right, but it didn't stop her from feeling that she'd failed her friends somehow. She took some shuddering deep breaths and sniffed. "But I swear that if it is in my power to do so," her voice hardened to steel, "I will not fail you again."

Three heads tilted back as the mourning friends knocked down the rest of their drinks, and the coffee table quivered with the impact of three glasses slammed to its surface. Rinna remained slumped forward, her elbows resting on her knees, as she studied her empty glass. Remus tried to catch her eye.

"What was that all about, Rin?" Remus asked softly. "What's wrong?"

Rinna sighed and looked at her friend. "I'll tell you in a minute, Remy."

Sirius felt a little pang of jealousy that Remus knew her well enough to read her like that, and he did not anymore. But then Rinna leaned back and put her head on his shoulder, and his arms automatically went around her, and she sighed again. Sirius held her and rubbed her shoulder soothingly until she finally lifted her chin and said softly to him, "Thanks." She used to do that, in the old days; lean into him as if to absorb some comfort or strength before facing some unpleasant task. A feeling of happiness, completely at odds with the current situation, passed through Sirius.

Rinna rose, and circled around the room once, acting as if she was pacing but really she was unobtrusively sealing the wards to the house, before she turned to the two men and said, "Gentlemen, I'm afraid that Harry is in need of our help." And she proceeded to relate the events of the entire evening.

----- -----

It was much, much later and cooler heads were finally prevailing, thanks in no small part to the seals on the wards preventing any sudden departures, before Rinna lowered herself to the couch and stretched out, her head on the armrest. She was emotionally and physically exhausted. She listened as Remus and Sirius schemed and plotted ways to get information to Harry, but their voices began to grow faint, and her eyes felt so heavy…

She woke to Sirius' gentle shaking. "C'mon, Ruby," he smiled fondly at her, "let's get you to bed." He swung her up in his arms and carried her down the hall to her room. He set her gently in the bed and removed her shoes before tucking the covers around her and leaning down to kiss her softly. "Goodnight, love. Leave it to us, and get some rest."

"Knew I could. Leave it to you two, I mean," she mumbled. "Needed the Marauder mentality."

He chuckled, and stood up to leave. She caught his hand. "Aren't you staying?" she asked hopefully.

"I didn't want to presume," he told her honestly. "Despite what happened last weekend…"

"Stay with me tonight," she squeezed his hand. "Please?"

He smiled at her, and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back soon," he promised. "Let me just finish helping Remus clean up."

"Mmmm," was her reply, and Sirius was quite sure she was asleep before he even left the room.

----- -----

Rinna woke as the first hint of dawn threatened to overtake the skies. She groaned and lifted her head off of Sirius' chest to look at the clock. His arms tightened reflexively around her to keep her close. "Do you have to go so soon?" he murmured.

"I want to be back in time for breakfast, so I can talk to Harry," she whispered.

Sirius peeled open one eye in order to cock an eyebrow at her. "Don't they still serve breakfast later on Sundays at Hogwarts?" Rinna nodded. "So I'll ask you again: do you have to leave so soon?" He wiggled the eyebrow suggestively as a slow grin crept across his face.

She smiled. "Well, I don't have to leave just yet," she admitted coyly.

"Good," he declared, and he pulled her mouth down to his. The sensation of his lips moving on hers and the patterns his hands made as he traced her curves over her rumpled clothing rather effectively pushed any concerns over her possibly hideous morning-breath right out of her head. In fact, the only things she was truly able to focus her mind on at that moment were the heart-stopping look of desire in his eyes, and the obvious evidence of his arousal pressed against her.

"You are making me sorry that I didn't stay awake last night," she whispered in his ear.

His smoldering eyes crinkled at the corners as he grinned at her. "I'll make sure you aren't the least bit sorry this morning," he informed her with an engaging leer.

----- -----

Sunlight was slipping through the break in the curtains and throwing tendrils of light on the fine dusting of hair on Sirius chest when Rinna propped up on one elbow to look at her lover. "A knut for your thoughts?" she asked playfully.

His smile was rueful. "I'm thinking of how to apologize for my behavior last night."

She eyed him a moment. "Oh, I think you just did," she smirked. He opened his mouth, but she laid her fingers on his lips to forestall his words. "I figured you would react like you did, but I knew you would come to your senses, for Harry's sake."

He took her hand from his mouth and placed it over his heart with a gentle squeeze as he caught her gaze and held it. He reached up and caressed her face. "We can do this, you know."

"Do what?" She was confused.

"We're going to get Harry through this, Rinna, I promise you." His eyes never wavered from hers. "We can be Harry's godparents. Finish raising him. Finally keep our promise to Lily and James." He watched her eyes widen.

Rinna twined her fingers in his. "Together?"

"Together, love. As long as I have breath in my body." Anything else he was going to say was swallowed by her passionate kiss.

"Damn it, Blackie, I hate to leave you, but this is borrowed time," she finally whispered, reluctantly getting up to get dressed. She stood for a moment, admiring the sight of him stretched out luxuriously on her bed, before kissing him soundly on the lips. "I love you, Marauder-boy."

He grinned cockily. "I know."

She slapped his shoulder lightly. "Pompous git!"

He seized her hand and brought it to his lips. "_Your_ pompous git," he corrected, looking at her with smoky blue eyes.

She pulled her hand away. "Lucky me," she said and turned for the door to leave before her resolve to get back to Hogwarts broke.

* * *

The problem was: Harry was not at breakfast that following morning. Neither was Hermione, so Rinna was surprised to see Ron there, and she noted the sullen look on his face. By dinnertime, she had learned through the information pipeline that worked so efficiently at Hogwarts that Harry and Ron were no longer on speaking terms. The Godmother was having conniption fits in her mind trying to ascertain how that could have possibly come about, alternating between deep concern for Harry's state of mind and frustration at not knowing the details of the two friends' falling out. She simply had to talk to him, tonight.

Rinna strategically placed herself where she would see Harry as he exited the Great Hall. She smiled and returned greetings from many of the students passing by before she spotted him with Hermione. "Mr. Potter, may I have a word?" she asked in her pleasant-professor-voice.

Harry glanced at Hermione. "Miss Granger is welcome to join us if you wish," Rinna added, knowing that anything she said to Harry would be repeated to his friends… er, well, at least to Hermione.

Hermione gave him a "well, what do you want me to do?" look and shrugged her shoulders. Harry looked from her to Rinna and back. "Nah, it's okay. You don't have to stay, Mione. I'll meet up with you in the library?"

"Sure," Hermione answered before turning away to the library. She shot Rinna a disgruntled look as she left.

Harry followed Rinna to the windowed portion of the second floor corridor. She stopped in front of a window that looked out onto the grounds, giving a good view of the lake, and the Durmstrang ship rocking slightly as the students returning from dinner boarded.

Rinna looked Harry over. There was no need for preamble; they both knew what was on Rinna's mind. "How are you holding up?" she asked with concern.

"I've been better," he answered honestly, looking into her worried eyes.

"Harry, I want you to know that I believe you; I don't think you put your name in the Goblet of Fire."

"Well, that would put you in the minority then," Harry replied, bitterness evident in his tone. "Even Ron thinks I did."

"I'm sorry," she told him.

Harry shrugged glumly. He knew there was nothing Rinna could do about Ron's attitude. It wasn't as if she was a _fairy_ godmother or anything. "Hermione says that he's just jealous that I'm getting all the attention, _again_." Rinna was impressed with Hermione's intuitive assessment, and privately agreed with her. "Well, I never asked for any attention, _ever_," Harry declared ferociously. "And I certainly don't want it _now_."

"I know," her soft voice was soothing and sympathetic. "It's not fair to you, really, to have this all thrust upon you."

"Rinna," Harry looked at her with something like panic in his face, "what am I going to do?"

She knew he was talking not just about his rift with Ron, but about the whole Tournament debacle. "Let's walk," she suggested. "I need to tell you something." Harry fell into step with her. "I want you to know that you will have help with all of this."

Harry frowned. "I thought that you weren't…"

"I have engaged the services of Messrs. Moony and Padfoot," she interjected. She smiled at him as she saw comprehension bloom on his face.

"Really?" he asked eagerly. "I just owled Si—uh, Mister Padfoot this morning, to tell him what happened."

Rinna looked pleased. "He'll be really happy you did, Harry."

"So what are they…"

Rinna held up a hand. "I'm not privy to their plans, I'm afraid. You will have to wait until they contact you."

"All right." Harry stopped and chewed on his lip thoughtfully. "Rinna, do you have any idea who would put my name in the Goblet of Fire, or why?"

"I dunno, Harry. But that is what _I _am going to be working to find out."

"Do you really think someone wants me dead, like Professor Moody said?" Harry asked quietly.

She gazed at him seriously. "We already know there is one person who wants you dead, Harry," she said softly. "Whether there are any others we can add to the list next to the Dark Lord's name, I don't know. But I'll tell you this," her face grew hard as steel, "they will have to go through me first."

Harry was startled by her words and her vehemence. "My mum gave her life trying to save me," he said softly.

"Yes," Rinna said steadily, despite the fresh wave of grief his words brought.

"And you're saying you'd do the same?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," she whispered fiercely.

"Why?" Harry breathed.

It was a good question. From the moment Dumbledore had read out Harry's name, and Rinna had been paralyzed in her seat, a whole gamut of emotions had been running through her, not the least of which was a sudden intense possessiveness of Harry. There was no way to explain how just a few months of knowing the boy could engender such feeling in her, unless it was the knowledge that this was the same person as the infant who'd stolen her heart just moments after he was born. She closed her eyes and remembered that day, the weight of him in her arms, and the sudden crazy feeling of needing to kill anyone who would even think about harming the little baby she held. What had Dumbledore called it? _Maternal instinct._

What would she do for Harry? Just about anything, she realized; he was Lily's son, after all. _Just let someone try to rip him away from me!_ A stiletto blade of pain and grief sliced through her heart as she wondered if that had been what Lily had been thinking when she had died. She opened her eyes and looked at the scruffy kid who had been the downfall of her stonewalled heart.

"Because, Harry, Lily entrusted you to me, and expected me to treat you like you were my own son." Green eyes locked with green. "It's time I fulfilled her wishes, don't you think?"

* * *

**Author Note: The quote marked by an asterisk () where Snape is ranting about Harry's disregard for rules is from JK Rowling's _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_, Chapter 17 "The Four Champions"**

**Please review and let me know what you thought! Did you know that if the review-levels in my bloodstream drop too low, that I get all woozy and lightheaded? You wouldn't want to be responsible for me fainting and hitting my head and getting a concussion, now would you? I didn't think so. Well, then, you know what you must do.**

**The fabulous people who read and reviewed my previous chapter were: Kerichi, Maelys, SiriusRulez, Abril, Kerrie the-scary-girl-next-door, and SlytherinsWench. Hugs and kisses to you all! You brightened my world!**

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	19. Hexed, Vexed and Perplexed

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 19: Hexed, Vexed and Perplexed**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe. This depresses me. Any characters, places, Quidditch stuff, situations, or spells that you don't find in her fabulous books, well now, they belong to me!

* * *

**

Even though the Triwizard Tournament had begun, and the weather was turning colder, not one of the Hogwarts staff in his or her right mind had even considered ending the highly successful intramural Quidditch program. There were just too many students bouncing off the walls of the castle. In fact, Professor Dunlevy and Madam Hooch had kindly extended an invitation to Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime if any of their students were interested in participating. Rinna was not surprised to see more than the usual amount of spectators in the Quidditch stadium on the first Saturday morning of November; apparently the school's foreign guests were investigating.

Rinna was circling and looping on her broom high above the stadium as the players cleared off for lunch. She frowned when she realized that two figures were still in the stands. They had caused much consternation when they had sat down; _Krum is here! Viktor Krum is watching us play!_ As a result, there were several near-mishaps and Rinna had had to come down hard on the players who were craning their necks and looking at the Bulgarian Seeker in the stands rather than the players in front of them. By the end of the morning, Rinna had felt like throttling the lot of them, including Krum and his Headmaster, so she had shot off into the sky at the end of the session to fly off her frustration and thus ensure her continued employment.

As she landed on the grass, she saw Karkaroff and Krum were leaving the stands and making their way to the pitch. Rinna heaved a sigh and strode to meet them. "Gentlemen," she greeted in a pleasantly neutral voice, masking her irritation, "how may I be of assistance?"

"I am hoping you could be, Professor," said Igor Karkaroff unctuously. "Viktor here needs to maintain his Quidditch skills, and I want to set up a time for him to practice. Without an audience."

Rinna snorted. "Are you not aware, Professor Karkaroff, that in the past seven days Mr. Krum has been unable to go anywhere without a small army of admirers following him? How do you propose we prevent them from filling the stands… repelling charms?"

Karkaroff brightened at that. "I had not thought of that… it just might work," he said thoughtfully.

"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Rinna threw up her hands. "I was being facetious, Professor!"

Karkaroff scowled. "I insist that you accommodate my, er, that is, Mr. Krum's wishes!"

"Certainly!" Rinna snapped. "As soon as I find out what they are." Rinna turned to Viktor. "Mr. Krum," her tone was kinder, "what, exactly, would you prefer for your practice sessions?" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Karkaroff fuming at her audacity in usurping his authority over Krum. _Hah! Serves you right, pompous, self-important git, for riding on the coat-tails of your student's fame!_

"Vell, Professor," Viktor said carefully, bowing politely to her, "I must keep up my skills… I vill haff to perform vell for my team this spring in order to maintain my contract." Rinna nodded in understanding. "But, I am afraid it is not very good to practice by myself…"

Karkaroff interrupted, "Now Viktor, you know you don't want to be giving a free show to all these, these _children_ here…"

"Professor," Viktor cut in with another bow, this time to his Headmaster, "vith all respect, I do not care vether or not any of the students vatch. I only care about practicing and staying in shape." He turned to Rinna, his face creased in thought. "In fact, Professor Dunlevy, I do not see how I can do that vithout other players."

Rinna nodded, ignoring Karkaroff's splutters, impressed that Krum had done his homework and learned her name. She suspected that Karkaroff hadn't yet. "Agreed, Mr. Krum. But this creates a dilemma, I'm afraid." She gestured for him to walk with her to the bench at the edge of the pitch. She glanced up from her seat when she realized a glowering Karkaroff had followed. "Professor Karkaroff," she said evenly, "you have my word that I understand the situation perfectly, as well as the need for discretion. I am confident that Mr. Krum and I can find a workable solution." He looked like he was about to protest. "_And_ I will run it past you before we implement it, for your final approval," she finished firmly.

Karkaroff looked at Viktor, who was nodding in agreement, before turning his glare back to Rinna. "Splendid. I am very pleased and gratified that you can help us in this way, Professor," he gritted out in a tone that indicated he was anything but pleased and gratified with how the situation had turned out. He turned abruptly on his heel and slunk out of the stadium.

Rinna returned her attention to Viktor, who prompted, "You said there vas a dilemma?"

"You see, Hogwarts has four house teams, and each team also has three or four reserve players, alternate players, that is," she explained. "So there are about forty excellent players here." She grinned. "Somehow, I don't think even you would be able to play against that many…"

Viktor was surprised to realize she was teasing him. Usually people were very serious with him, almost as if they were afraid to offend him. And yet, this teacher was treating him as if he were a normal person, not some Quidditch super-star. He appreciated it, very much. "Vell, it vould be a challenge," he grinned back. "So I think, perhaps," he added with a shrug, "just enough people to make skeleton teams?"

Rinna knew what he meant from her days playing Quidditch; skeleton teams referred to the practice of a team of seven regular players and three alternates forming two teams for practice and drills. "Well, that's my dilemma, you see. If I choose just a few players to practice with you, we're likely to have a riot on our hands…"

"Ah," Viktor said before thinking for a moment. "Vat about rotating the players then? It is more interesting and challenging for me to play against different styles, vouldn't you think?"

Rinna was pleased. She had hoped that Krum would suggest this solution. She'd thought he'd seemed a decent fellow, and she was glad to see that fame had not yet gone to his head. "I think that is a brilliant resolution. Thank you for suggesting it." Viktor gave her a polite bow. "Just two more details to attend to before we can make this happen, though. First, I must check with Professor Dumbledore; he may not be exactly keen on his two Champions risking life and limb on the Quidditch pitch." At Krum's puzzled look she explained, "Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter are Seekers for their respective house teams. And second, I will have to bring this proposal to our flying instructor for her approval before it can officially happen."

"You are not the flying instructor, Professor Dunlevy?" Krum was very confused now. "But ven I saw you flying… you vere officiating… you fly very vell…"

"I'm sorry you got the wrong impression, Mr. Krum. I have been assisting with our rather new intramural Quidditch program because of my interest in the sport, but Madam Hooch, who has this weekend off, is the person who is really in charge of all things Quidditch around Hogwarts."

Viktor Krum once again smiled widely. Smiling did wonders for his usually dour expression, Rinna thought. It was too bad he was one of those people whose facial muscles fell into a somewhat surly arrangement at rest. "Vould you be talking about Rolanda Hooch, Professor?" he asked.

"Why, yes," Rinna replied, a bit taken aback. "Do you know her?"

His smile turned rather impish. "Yes. She and my grandfather played for the same team, you see."

Rinna looked at him curiously. "Really?" Krum nodded. "Huh."

"Professor, begging your pardon, but I think you are forgetting a third detail." Krum was still grinning. He really looked like a cheeky teenager now; it was hard to imagine this was the same man who was the serious Bulgarian Seeker.

"Oh I am, am I?" Rinna asked, one eyebrow raised in challenge. "And what might that be?"

"Vell, you did tell Professor Karkaroff you vould run vatever plan ve came up vith past him for his approval."

A sour expression crossed Rinna's face. "Blast. I did, didn't I?" Viktor laughed at her scowl. She eyed him speculatively. "All right, Mr. Impudence. If you hurry, you'll still get lunch. I'll take care of my _three_ tasks and we'll have this all worked out in a matter of days."

Viktor stood up, bowed to her, and left the pitch, turning once to wave cheerily in her direction.

* * *

The following Friday afternoon, Rinna moved quickly through the halls of the old castle, a small bundle of journals tucked in the crook of her elbow. It had taken every ounce of diplomacy and wit she possessed to wheedle the periodicals out of the library and, therefore, out of Madam Pince's tight control. She considered herself fortunate that she did not have any children of her own, or she would have likely had to pledge her firstborn to the woman as collateral against the journals' safe return.

As it was, she'd used up valuable time during this, her only afternoon free period, and was now hurrying to the dungeons and her latest brewing of her "private commission" as she had started to call her renewed potions experiment. She'd commandeered one of the smaller unused classrooms and had implemented an impressive array of wards and lock-spells to keep her work safe, all which took precious time to do and undo. She huffed out an exasperated sigh; if she didn't get any work done today, she'd have to use her free Saturday afternoon, after the morning's first official "Viktor Krum Quidditch Melee" as Madam Hooch was calling it. She sighed again; usually Friday the Thirteenth was a "lucky" day for her.

It became obvious she had not learned her lesson about taking corners at breakneck speed (although she wasn't truly even running; more of a barely restrained jog, really) when she collided with a wild-haired sobbing student. Periodicals went flying and Rinna staggered backward, recognizing the girl who was crying uncontrollably and covering her mouth even as she reeled from the collision. Unfortunately, her hands reflexively flew out to her sides in an attempt to maintain her balance, revealing the cause of her tears.

"Hermione! Oh Merlin, what happened?" Rinna gasped. The girl's front teeth had grown and were now past her chin and almost to the point where they were pressing into her breast bone. "_Finite Incantatum_!" Rinna pulled her closer to the wall, so her back was to the corridor. Hermione's hands were once again covering her disfigurement, and her sobbing continued.

"Come on, Hermione, let me see," Rinna coaxed gently, carefully prying the distraught girl's hands from her mouth. "All right," she said calmly, placing her hand on Hermione's shoulder. "We are going to get this taken care of. You are going to be just fine, okay?" The poor thing's shoulders heaved miserably. "I'm taking you to the infirmary. I could probably take care of this right here, but I'm not the expert in healing that Madam Pomfrey is." She smiled encouragingly. "Your parents are dentists, I believe?" Hermione nodded slightly. "They would agree that we don't want an amateur mucking about with something as important as teeth. So, here you go," and Rinna produced a clean handkerchief from her inside robe pocket and opened it. "Use this to cover your face." She placed the hanky in the girl's hand and held it up to her nose. "Like so, as if you have a nosebleed. That's it." The teeth had been effectively disguised.

Rinna turned, extended a hand, and with a quiet "_accio_" the journals returned to her. She wrapped her free arm around Hermione's shoulders and kindly led her toward the Hospital Wing. "Madam Pomfrey," she called as they entered the infirmary, and was surprised to see the Healer poke her head out from behind the curtains where she was tending another patient.

"_This_ is our other dueler?" Poppy Pomfrey asked incredulously, surprised that Hermione would break such a serious school rule. Hermione vigorously shook her head.

"Well," Rinna said carefully, "she's been hit with _densaugeo_, but I don't think Miss Granger was dueling in the halls…" She turned to Hermione. "You weren't, were you?" Hermione again shook her head.

Madam Pomfrey sniffed. "Well, Mr. Goyle here claims he wasn't dueling, either." Hermione shook her head a third time. "He wasn't? All right, then. I will leave it to the teachers to sort this out. Let's get her to a bed, over there, Professor. Yes, right there. I'll be with you shortly, Miss Granger. We'll soon have you put to rights."

Rinna guided Hermione to the edge of the bed. "Well, you obviously can't tell me what happened right now, but I could probably hazard a guess; you were hit by a hex gone astray?" Hermione gave a sad little nod. Something seemed to click in Rinna's mind. "Oh no. Please don't tell me that Harry was dueling…" Hermione looked away. Rinna sighed. "One guess as to whom with: Draco Malfoy." Hermione still refused to look at her.

Rinna pushed aside the privacy curtain rather forcefully and stalked to Pomfrey's office. "I'm nicking a piece of parchment, Poppy," she called as she opened the desk drawer. She returned to Hermione's alcove and set the parchment on the bedside table.

"You're supposed to be in Potions right now, if I'm not mistaken," Rinna said, recalling Harry's schedule. Hermione nodded. "I'm writing you a note excusing you from class. You'll need this, or Professor Snape will likely give you detention." She handed it to Hermione, and held her gaze. "When you've been set to rights and you can talk again, if you want to tell me what happened I'm more than willing to listen. And I'll do my best to help sort things out, all right?"

Hermione didn't know if she'd take Rinna up on her offer. She wanted to tell her how cruel Snape had been after he'd looked at her rapidly lengthening teeth and stated he couldn't see any difference in her appearance. But somehow, Hermione didn't think it would do any good. It's not as if Rinna could make Snape change his attitude or anything.

Rinna must have seen the conflict play out in Hermione's eyes. "And even if I can't do anything about it, Hermione, I want you to know that you can always come and talk to me." She put her hand on Hermione's shoulder and gave a light squeeze.

* * *

Draco Malfoy was sitting in the stands of the Quidditch stadium nursing a slight resentment that he had not been drawn to play Seeker against Viktor Krum. Madam Hooch had placed every Hogwarts player's name (and to Draco's disgust, every alternate player's as well) in the lottery to be drawn for skeleton teams to help Krum keep up his training. Of course, it was Draco's luck that the four Seekers had fewer chances of being drawn than the rest of the players, because, of course, Krum was playing the other Seeker.

The only thing that kept the situation from being completely unacceptable was the fact that neither Potter nor Diggory had been drawn either. If he was going to be forced to watch someone else play Seeker when _he_ should have been, at least Cho Chang was easy on the eyes.

He presumed that all the players who hadn't been chosen were supposed to feel grateful that they were at least invited to stay and watch Krum play. If he was honest with himself, he was rather pleased that he'd be able to brag about watching Krum, but it would have been far better to say he'd actually _played_ with Krum. He was unable to maintain his sulk, however, once the players took off; he was too busy watching the match. He would never pass up a chance to watch Quidditch played, even, he admitted sourly to himself, if the only team available to watch was Gryffindor's.

A flash of red caught his eye and he turned his head. It was the referee, Professor Dunlevy. He didn't find carrot-tops all that attractive; they reminded him of the Weasleys (he shuddered), but the Professor… well, her hair was a dark, rich red. It reminded him of the polished mahogany furniture his mother favored. _That_ color was definitely appealing. He found his mind inexplicably wandering to thoughts of the enigmatic teacher.

Everyone went on and on about how impartial she was, and each student was convinced that the Professor had hailed from whatever House that particular student was from. Draco had heard from the sixth and seventh year Slytherins that her class was ace; and that she really _was_ fair to everyone. Draco studied Dunlevy as she swooped around the players, whistle in her mouth. He thought about his own experiences with her.

One thing he knew; she was very cunning. Just look at how she had handled the Snake Incident. She had taken ten points from everyone, _ten points_, and had made them all think she was going easy on them! And she had duped them into being grateful they had received only one detention! Draco smirked and nodded in grudging admiration. She had handled the entire incident in a brilliant, calculating and… Draco's eyebrow shot up in realization… as a matter of fact, very Slytherin manner.

And the Snake Incident, Draco suddenly remembered, was where it was revealed that Dunlevy was a Parselmouth. His eyes narrowed. How was it that he'd almost forgotten that little tidbit of information? When St. Potter was discovered to speak Parseltongue, back in second year, the uproar was such that the walls of Hogwarts had practically fallen down around them. But when Dunlevy's skill was discovered, it had caused very little comment. It was as if everyone seemed to have forgotten that interesting fact about her… how curious. Draco had no doubt it had been intentional on Dunlevy's part, but how she had managed to divert everyone's attention from the fact she speaks Parseltongue, he had no idea. _But it was a maneuver worthy of a Slytherin._

And besides, Parselmouths were rather a Slytherin phenomenon. Well, except Potter, of course, but he was a freak anyway.

Draco noticed that Scarhead was paying close attention to the Professor as well. He seemed rather intent on her, and Draco smirked to think that perhaps Potter was a little bit infatuated with her. As if! Draco paused to indulge in a new awareness that while Dunlevy _seemed_ impartial, she had clearly shown her preference for Draco over Potter and the Weasel. He had been gratified to note that she had attended or refereed every intramural Quidditch game Slytherin had had, but a few weekends ago, when Gryffindor had played several matches, she had been conspicuously absent.

But the _piece de resistance_, the biggest slap in the face of the annoying Scarhead and his sidekick, was when Dunlevy had let Draco hold her broom. She hadn't even deigned to let Potter or Weasley touch it! Draco practically crowed out loud. It had been so sweet!

Draco's eyes followed the Professor as she turned tail suddenly and zoomed over to the Hoops before zipping back to call a foul, whistle blowing. She was a damned good flyer, for a girl. In fact, she flew like someone who had played Quidditch seriously… played for a school team, perhaps. _If I was the captain, and I saw her flying, I'd want her on my team. _

Draco scowled. There were no girls on the Slytherin team. She couldn't have played for Slytherin.

Unless…

Had there ever been a time when girls had played for Slytherin? He'd have to do a little research on that... it would explain why she owned a decidedly Slytherin-looking broom! A broom model that later became the Slytherin team broom for a number of years...

He eyed her speculatively as she rode on her silvery broom, dressed in a green sweater and certainly looking the part… and found that he wanted to know very badly just what Hogwarts House Professor Dunlevy had been in.

Much to his surprise, five shrill whistles sounded, indicating the match was over. As he wove his way out of the stands, he made sure to linger so he could intercept Dunlevy. She was putting away the last of the Quaffles when he sauntered up to her and said, "You are really good. Your flying, I mean. Good enough to have played for a team in school."

Dunlevy stood up and gave him a searching look, one eyebrow quirked, before she smiled and, reaching out to ruffle his hair, said, "Why Draco, you're full of compliments this morning." She turned away and completely missed the horrified expression on the boy's face as he brought his hand to his hair in disbelief.

It was a very stunned Draco Malfoy that watched her walk toward the equipment shed. Who did she think she was? A Malfoy's hair does NOT get ruffled! As if he was a common schoolboy! He hastily finger-combed his hair into place, and slouched out of the stadium. He was almost to the exit when he realized that he'd spent so much of the match watching that brazen woman, he'd completely missed seeing Krum play! Draco was in a dark, dark mood for the rest of the day.

----- -----

Rinna smiled as she stowed the trunk in the equipment room. She had felt the indignation flowing off of Draco in waves. The kid was not used to any kind of affectionate touching, that much was obvious. He took himself much too seriously, that one. Rinna sighed, feeling a soft spot for the Slytherin. He reminded her of the schoolmates she had watched slowly warp under their parents' ideologies or through the influence of their peers: _Narcissa, Severus, Regulus…_

She had had to sit and watch, unable to do anything, unable to make a difference back then. _But not now_, she decided. She was in a position of influence now. And maybe _this_ time things could be different…

* * *

"Grrrraaaahhh!" Rinna slapped down her notes in utter frustration, causing the table in the center of her dungeon workroom to shake. It was completely hopeless. There was no way she would be productive, not with her concentration in tatters and her mind on the miserable week that had just passed. She sighed, marked another Friday afternoon as a loss, and determined that it was probably not realistic to expect any progress on her potions work until after the first Triwizard task was finished. She stalked out of her dungeon, re-set the spells and made her way to her office with her thoughts chasing around in her head.

Rinna was finding it more and more difficult to keep the Godmother and the Professor separate, especially when a rather ridiculous article came out in the _Daily Prophet_ last Sunday; a story by an obvious hack journalist by the name of Rita Skeeter who fancied herself a writer. Rinna was well aware of the taunts and jibes being tossed Harry's way, especially regarding a made-up quote that had Harry stating he cried over his dead parents.

Rinna fumed at the insensitivity of the article and Harry's schoolmates. After all, no one wanted painful family tragedy displayed for all to see, nor the reminder that one was different from one's peers. She remembered returning to school for her final year, whispers following her everywhere, and the word "orphaned" in particular ripping at her battered heart. Being an orphan made one _atypical_ from the other students and the subject of often cruel remarks (intentional or not). Certainly most of the students at Hogwarts had known about Harry's circumstances, but had never given it much thought until the article came out. Now Harry was being singled out once again; he was out of the ordinary, weird, unusual. Her heart had ached for him as she watched him struggle under it all during the week.

The Godmother desperately wanted to do something, but Rinna suspected that it would mostly entail the boxing of many students' ears, so she kept that part of her tightly tamped down. The Professor, meanwhile, was very concerned that the whole Fourth Champion debacle was eroding the inter-House unity that Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw usually had. And then there was the fact that last Friday Harry and Draco had been dueling in the halls again. Rinna ran her hands through her hair in worry. She wasn't quite sure what she could, or should, do for Harry.

She had written him a note, asking if he would stop by her office today after his Potions class. She sat at her big oak desk and wondered what she would say to him if he did accept her invitation. She sure hoped some of that maternal instinct would kick in and give her something brilliant to say. She sighed, pulled a stack of essays that were waiting to be graded toward her, and waited for inspiration to hit.

Harry knocked on Rinna's office door, which stood open in the back of her classroom. She looked up from the essay she'd been unable to concentrate on and smiled. "Come in, Harry," she invited as she got up and pulled two chairs forward. "Any change in circumstances between you and Ron?"

"No," said Harry rather dully as the two of them sat down.

Rinna leaned forward and put a hand on Harry's knee. "Listen, Harry. I remember a time when your mother and I had a rather large falling out. It was awful. I felt… oh, I felt all kinds of things. Anger, frustration, loneliness, hurt…"

"You and my mum had a fight?" Harry interrupted.

Rinna smiled a little sadly. "A rather devastating row, I'm afraid. At least, it was devastating at the time…"

"What happened?" Harry was willing to bet it wasn't because one of them didn't believe the other. "What was it about?"

"Well," Rinna's mouth turned up rather ruefully, "it was over the Marauders, actually." Harry's mouth opened slightly in surprise. "Would you like to hear about it? It might not make you feel any better…"

Even if it made him feel worse, Harry wouldn't pass up a chance to hear about his parents. "Tell me," he said eagerly before remembering his manners and adding, "Please?"

"Well, to understand the story, I will need to give you a bit of background. Sometime in my fourth year I realized that your dad and his mates were sneaking out at regular intervals and spending the night away from Hogwarts. I decided that I would find out what they were up to. Lily called it my 'Marauder obsession.' It wasn't that I wanted to get them in trouble, or anything like that…" She huffed out a small laugh. "I liked them all, actually, and I was friends with Remus by that point. But your mum realized that I was a bit infatuated with Sirius Black. An allegation I vehemently denied at the time." Harry laughed. "Your mother did NOT approve… of Sirius, or my fascination with the Marauders.

"At the beginning of my fifth year, your mum's and dad's sixth year, I took advantage of my new privileges as a prefect and decided to follow them one night. I had figured out the pattern of their excursions, but I hadn't connected them with the moon until…" Her voice grew very soft. "I watched through the window of the Shrieking Shack as the lads transformed, wondering why Remus didn't as well… until the moon rose over the hills…" Her voice trailed off as she lost herself in the memory.

"What did you do?" Harry whispered, snapping her back to her story.

She raised an eyebrow. "I ran like hell! I ran and jumped back on my broom and flew back to Hogwarts. Not long afterward, I confronted them and told them what I knew. I made a promise to Remus, and to all of them, that I would not reveal their secrets." She remembered that evening clearly; the confrontation had not come without a price. _I had to reveal so much to them, but the lads vowed to keep my secrets as well… _

"So how did you and my Mum get into a row?" Harry prompted impatiently.

She shot him a quelling look. "I'm getting there. There's just a bit more to tell. A month later, I was patrolling the castle on the evening of the full moon, when the four of them came skidding down the halls, intent on getting to a secret passageway they knew of to the Shrieking Shack." Rinna suddenly looked dismayed, realizing that she wasn't being very circumspect.

Harry grinned. "It's all right. I know there are secret passageways from the school."

Rinna looked at him curiously. _I'll have to find out the source of his knowledge later; no doubt it's the twins_. "Well, they didn't have much time before the moon rose, and they were being followed by the other prefect who was patrolling that night and nearly were caught. They only made it to the entrance to the passage because I created a diversion." She saw the question in Harry's eyes. "I had only intended to fake the injury, but I actually sprained my ankle, so the other prefect had to help me to the infirmary. It was my just punishment, I suppose." She rolled her eyes at the memory.

"So the Marauders took it upon themselves to send me a box of chocolates as a thank you for my noble sacrifice. And do you remember me telling you that Sirius would send me anonymous roses by owl?" Harry nodded. "That was the first time he sent one to me." She smiled at the memory, before her expression grew thoughtful. "And that's what started the trouble with your mum and me." Rinna sighed, then continued to tell the story to her godson.

----- -----

Lily was not pleased. Rinna had been obsessing over the Marauders for some time now, following them at night trying to figure out where they went off to, engaging in verbal warfare, commenting on their looks and personalities. Not to mention having a crush on Lupin for a while last year (Lily was fairly certain that Rinna was past that now), and currently a fascination with Sirius Black.

Lily's eyes narrowed as she studied Black from across the room. He was much too full of himself, that one. Sirius "Legend in His Own Mind" Black: Self-styled Ladies' Man of Hogwarts… What was he playing at? Lily had no doubt it was he who sent the candy and the rose, but why?

It wasn't until after classes were over that Lily was able to catch Rinna privately. "Hey, Rinna, I need to talk with you."

"I know. I know what you are going to say, Lily, but the candy wasn't from Black. It was from all the Marauders," Rinna began to explain.

"But what about the rose?" Lily crossed her arms and looked disapprovingly at Rinna. "He sure was interested in your reaction to it; that makes me think _he_ sent it."

Rinna crossed her arms defensively, "It could have come from all of them, too. The gifts came together after all, and there was no card with the flower." Even to her own ears, Rinna didn't sound as if she believed herself.

Lily certainly wasn't convinced. "Just what is going on with you and Black? Is there something you're not telling me? You've been awfully quiet lately." Lily was struck with a thought. "Hang on! Why would the _Marauders_, of all people, be sending you gifts anyway?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh, Lil, it was just a thank you gift, for helping them out with…OH!" Rinna clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes growing wide at her near-slip.

Lily's voice dripped censure, "Helping them with what?"

She knew she should make something up, anything, but Rinna had promised Lily she would always be honest with her. She wasn't going to start telling her best friend lies now. "I'm sorry, Lily. I can't tell you."

Lily felt a jab of pain. So Rinna was keeping secrets from her. She'd noticed that her friend had seemed distracted and a little distant, and had hoped it was merely Rinna adjusting to the demands of being a prefect. Lily began to notice some strange feelings slipping around her heart and squeezing: jealousy, betrayal, irrational anger.

"You found out what they were up to, didn't you?" she shouted.

Rinna looked miserable. "I can't tell you. I'm sorry, but I promised."

"Are they holding something against you? Blackmailing you, perhaps?"

Rinna shook her head and looked at Lily sadly, feeling absolutely awful that Lily was upset. But there was nothing she could do about it; she wouldn't break her word to the boys.

Lily looked at her friend and felt a weird combination of fear infused with anger; fear that her dearest friend was pulling away from her, anger that it was _those_ particular boys who were the catalyst. It ignited the temper she was known for.

"Fine, then!" Lily snapped. "Go ahead and keep your secrets. I see that the promise you made me that we'd always be totally honest with each other doesn't mean much, does it?"

Rinna felt like she might cry. "Don't say that, Lily. Would you have me break my word to them?"

Lily had two splotches of red high in her cheeks, but she looked like she might burst into tears as well. "I would expect you to behave like the best friend you claim to be," she said coldly, and turned to walk quickly away before the tears started to spill.

Rinna stood stock still for an eternity, it seemed, tears trickling down her cheeks, reeling from the row and feeling very, very wretched. She'd never fought like this with Lily in all the time they'd been friends. Never having really been on the receiving end of Lily's temper before, Rinna had a new-found appreciation of why others feared her sharp tongue. With a heavy heart, she turned and made her miserable way to the library.

----- -----

"How long did your fight last?" Harry wanted to know.

Rinna sighed. "We didn't speak to each other for a week."

Harry nodded. "So how did you make up?"

The wistfulness in his tone tugged at Rinna's heart. She knew he had to be missing Ron terribly. "The Marauders intervened." She smiled at the memory. "They kidnapped Lily and me, took us to an abandoned classroom, and then," she paused for dramatic effect, "they revealed all the secrets I was keeping for them to Lily."

"Even Professor Lupin's?"

She gazed at him steadily. "Even Lupin's," she said somberly. "As a result, I was freed from my obligation to not tell Lily, and she could no longer say I was keeping secrets from her." Her voice dropped low. "It was a huge sacrifice on their part, to salvage our friendship. And the happy side-effect was it helped to soften your mum's opinion of them." She smiled at him, and put her hand on his shoulder. "Have a little faith, Harry. You and Ron will work this out eventually, I'm sure of it."

"I dunno… it's been three weeks now…" Harry sighed gloomily.

"Oh, Harry," Rinna exhaled unhappily. "I wish there was something I could do. I wish I could just… just make it all better somehow."

"S'okay," he assured her with a wan smile. "I know you're not a fairy godmother."

"Fairy godmother?"

He started to explain, "Oh, it's from a Muggle story. The fairy godmoth—"

"I recognize the reference," she interrupted him, "It's just that… I haven't heard it since your mother…" She trailed off sadly. "The fairy godmother changed the girl's rags to a beautiful gown, if I recall, so she could dance with the prince? And made the glass slippers that she left behind at midnight?" Harry nodded. "Hmmm…" Rinna mused. "Sounds like an awful lot of fancy transfiguration work and not much in the way of problem solving to me…"

Harry gave a little snort of laughter. "No, you see, the fairy godmother waves her magic wand and makes everything all right."

Rinna pulled out her wand and brandished it above her head, showering gold and silver sparks around the office. "Anything?" Harry smiled and shook his head. "Blast. It looks like you're stuck with just a plain ordinary godmother, then."

Harry looked at her affectionately. "I'm just glad I _have_ a godmother," he told her sincerely.

Rinna stood up. "C'mere," she said gruffly, and pulled him into a hug.

Harry felt strangely better, although he wasn't used to motherly hugs. He hugged her back and told her, "I'm talking to Sirius tomorrow night, well, early Sunday morning, actually."

"I know. He told me." She gave him one last squeeze and let him go. "Are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" she asked him. Harry shrugged. "It might help take your mind off of everything."

"Maybe," he said doubtfully. Harry's stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly, and Rinna laughed as she ruffled his hair.

"Let's get to dinner, shall we?"

Harry nodded, and followed her out the door. "Thanks, Rinna," he said quietly.

She directed a warm smile at him. "My door is always open, Harry. Remember that."

* * *

Sunday morning found Rinna entering the Great Hall to nick a bite of toast and some juice before she went for a run. The students were starting to get used to the sight of one of their professors in a track suit and trainers, so she was usually able to slip in and out of breakfast with very little notice. Today, however, she was waylaid by an owl, which brought attention to her, since there usually wasn't Owl Post on Sundays.

She opened the note, expecting it to be from Sirius with a recap of his conversation with Harry last night. It wasn't.

_Hi Rinna,_

_I'm in the neighborhood, on business! Dumbledore said it would be fine if I wrote you and invited you to visit me. We are camped on the other side of the Forbidden Forest; just follow the north edge around, and you can't miss it. No one is supposed to know we are here yet, though._

_Will you stop by today?_

_Yours,_

_Charlie Weasley_

Rinna frowned. Charlie. Here on business. Charlie's business was dragon keeping, and if he was here on business, that meant there were dragons here… and _that_ meant—

Rinna turned abruptly and dashed out of the Great Hall, through the entrance hall and down the castle's front steps, leaving a few surprised students in her wake. She found the path that skirted the Forbidden Forest with ease, and fell into a comfortable running pace.

Dragons. The first task involved dragons. What in the hell were they thinking?

It didn't take long for her to round the corner of the edge of the forest as the castle and lake slipped from sight and the enormous enclosure soon loomed into view. Four magnificent dragon specimens were lounging in the morning sunlight, deceptively docile and most likely under the influence of Stunning Spells, and the sight took Rinna's breath away. She stopped and stared, spellbound by the sheer beauty and obvious power of the beasts. Her mouth went dry. _Harry's going to have to face one of those?_

She was on the verge of executing an about-face, running back to the castle, seizing Harry, and taking him to a far-away place (_Hong Kong? Australia? Arizona? Where can we go?_), but she was hailed by a shout.

"What are you doing here?" a burly, grizzled wizard demanded from the entrance to the compound.

She jogged forward. "I'm looking for my friend, Charlie Weasley."

"WEASLEY!" the man turned and roared into the camp, "Some bird is here to see ya!"

Charlie came sauntering up, a wide smile on his good-natured, freckled face. "Rinna!" He pulled her into a hug. "I'm glad you came." He took her arm and led her into the camp to show her around. He bent his head and said in a much lower voice, "I wanted you to be forewarned about first task."

Rinna didn't bother to hide her dismay. "By the moons of Jupiter, Charlie, they are going to set dragons on schoolchildren? No offense to your father, but the Ministry has gone effing barmy!"

They had stopped outside the spell-reinforced enclosure that held the impressive beasts, which looked even larger and more intimidating now that Rinna was closer. Charlie turned to her, speaking earnestly, "Look, Rinna, all of the dragon keepers will be on hand to keep the dragons under control and handle any unexpected situations. The safety of the Tournament Champions is the top priority."

Rinna's face was pinched with worry. "What do they each have to do?"

"Well, uh, each Champion has to remove a special egg from a clutch the dragon is guarding."

"WHAT?" Rinna shrieked. Charlie shushed her and looked around. "Charlie Weasley!" Rinna hissed more quietly but with no less intensity, "Are you telling me that those," she waved her hand dramatically at the slumbering dragons, "are broody females? This is insane!"

"It's going to be a very controlled situation. Everything will be fine," he soothed.

Rinna shot him an exasperated glare. "You'll excuse me, I hope, if I start pointing out the hundreds of ways in which things could quickly go to less-than-fine…"

Charlie took her by the shoulders. "Listen to me, Rinna. I know you are worried about Harry—"

"I swear, Charlie, that if anything goes wrong, I will take on a dragon myself—"

"But I promise you," Charlie went on as if she hadn't interrupted, flexing his fingers and shaking her just a little, "that I will NOT let anything happen to Harry. I swear it, Rinna." He locked his eyes with hers, and she could see the intensity and sincerity there.

Rinna took a deep breath and nodded. She turned to look at the four dragons. "So beautiful," she whispered. "So beautiful, and so terrifying."

Charlie turned to look at them, too. "Yeah," he agreed in an almost dreamy voice. He looked back at her. "Do you remember, the summer after you graduated from Hogwarts, how you would take Bill and me out into the woods and we'd go catch snakes?"

Rinna snorted. "I tried to keep you out of your poor mum's hair. She had her hands full with Percy and the twins."

"Each time we found one, you would start whispering to it, and we would all pretend that you were telling it to behave." Rinna glanced at him sharply. "Then we would pick it up in our hands and pet it." Charlie chuckled. "For years, I really believed that you could talk to snakes!"

"Charlie--" Rinna began uncomfortably.

"My point is: it is because of you that, at the tender age of five, I began to appreciate and even fall in love with animals." Charlie looked at her again. "I love what I do, Rinna. I wanted you to know the part you played in that occurred long before you pulled strings and got me that internship at the Slovakian Colony."

Rinna took a deep breath. So he knew about her role in that, then. "Thanks, Charlie," she said softly. Then she grinned. "But if your mother ever knew that I had—"

"That you had influenced my choice of profession? She'd probably skin you alive. That's why I never told her what I just told you."

"That's rather decent of you," Rinna gave him an ironic smile. "And thank you, for saying you'll watch out for Harry. At least that gives me a little peace of mind during all this."

He bowed gallantly, then offered her his arm. "Shall I walk you back to Hogwarts?"

"Thanks, but I think I'll finish my run."

He walked her back to the camp entrance. "I'll see you when this is all over. And don't worry. Everything will turn out fine."

"I hope some of your optimism has rubbed off on me." Rinna gave him a hug before looking slyly at him. "And for the record, Charlie, I really _was_ telling the snakes to behave."

Charlie threw back his head and laughed. "I know." He smirked. "I finally put it together my first year at Hogwarts. It was about the same time that I realized that maybe you didn't have cooties after all."

She cuffed him lightly on the shoulder. "Goodbye, you dragon-taming git!" she grinned and began jogging back to the castle.

"Thanks to you!" his reply came from behind her.

* * *

"There, that's the last of 'em," Sirius pronounced as he pulled the final book from a box and carefully set it next to the others sitting on the coffee table. "The Black family wasn't really very avid about dragons, I'm afraid. I grabbed anything I thought may have a reference."

Remus picked it up and flipped through it interestedly. "This one may hold some promise, but I'm not sure about the others."

The whoosh of someone flooing in could only have been one of two people. Sirius looked up in time to see Rinna emerging from the fireplace. Rinna's eyes were dark green pools of worry when she locked onto his. "Sirius, the first task is—"

Sirius stated at the exact same moment, "Rinna, it's going to be—"

"Dragons," they finished together.

Rinna stared at him, mouth open slightly. "How did you know?"

"Harry told me," Sirius explained. "Apparently he saw them last night."

"Oh thank Merlin he knows." Rinna sank into the armchair in relief and proceeded to tell them about her meeting with Charlie. "He promised me he wouldn't let anything happen to Harry," she finished.

"I don't know," said Sirius dubiously. "Charlie is still just a kid. How much training has he had with dragons, anyway?"

"He's almost twenty-two," Rinna said, a bit defensively, "and he started training right out of Hogwarts with one of the best new dragon keepers in years!" She caught the rather significant look that Remus tossed her way, and frowned slightly at him before her eyes widened. "Of course," she said softly to herself as she snapped her fingers. "I'll be right back, gentlemen."

Sirius watched her quizzically as she pulled up the trapdoor and disappeared down the cellar steps. Several moments later, she came back into the living room, a box levitated before her. She set it on the coffee table, removed the lid and began rifling through the contents. Sirius noticed that her cheeks were slightly pink.

Remus beat him to the question; "What do you think you'll find in there, Rinna?"

Rinna spoke without looking up, "I know I have some articles he wrote, and a textbook he authored a chapter of somewhere in here."

"Who? What?" Sirius felt like he'd missed something.

When Rinna still did not look up, but continued doggedly searching the box, Remus explained, "The dragon keeper Charlie trained with; Rinna, ah, convinced him to take Charlie as an intern at his dragon colony in Czechoslovakia."

"Here we go!" Rinna said brightly, still a little flushed, as she pulled out a small bundle of journals and a book.

Sirius thought that maybe she was avoiding his eyes. "Hang on," he said, "Let me get this straight. You know this upstart Czechoslovakian dragon-tamer?"

Rinna looked at him carefully. "You do know that they've separated into the Czech and Slovak Republics now, don't you?"

"Don't try to dodge the question, Rinna."

She sighed. "His name is Jindrich Svorad, and the last I heard, he had been promoted to manager of the dragon colony in the Tatra Mountains in north-central Slovakia." She gestured to the journals. "Right now we are looking for any information on the handling of broody she-dragons; specifically on how to safely remove an egg from one's clutch." She picked up the book, and began skimming the chapters.

Sirius watched her for a moment, a strange disquieting thought that there was more to this dragon keeper thing than met the eye scratching away in the back of his mind. But his worry for Harry's well-being shoved the thought away for later pondering. He began to peruse the first periodical. Remus, who had been strangely quiet, was doing the same.

Eventually, Rinna snapped the book shut in frustration and tossed it back into the box. "Nothing! Plenty of information on dealing with a clutching dragon, but none on removing an egg. Apparently, it is not a recommended practice." She grimaced as the clock struck the half-hour.

"I need to be getting back to Hogwarts." She looked despairingly at her two companions. "What do I tell Harry?"

Sirius and Remus looked worriedly at each other. Sirius said, "I tried to tell Harry that their eyes were the weakest spot, but our conversation was interrupted, and I didn't even get a chance to suggest the Conjunctivitis Curse." He was troubled.

Rinna's brows rose in interest. "I wouldn't have thought of that! I guess you _were_ paying attention in Kettleburn's Care of Magical Creatures classes!" She huffed a small laugh when he stuck his tongue out at her.

"I don't think students learn the Conjunctivitis Curse until Fifth Year," Remus remarked quietly.

Rinna swore. Sirius pulled her into his arms. "Moony and I will keep looking for an idea. Don't worry, Ruby." He kissed the top of her head.

She snorted. "Right. You might as well tell a vampire to stop craving blood." She placed her cheek on Sirius' chest and heaved a big sigh. "I suppose I'll be pulling an all-nighter in the Hogwarts library tonight…"

Sirius chuckled. "Wish I could join you, relive old memories and all that."

She pulled away and wrinkled her nose at him. "You never pulled an all-nighter in all your years at Hogwarts, you git!"

"Oh, you were referring to _studying_!" He grinned roguishly at her before offering his arm and walking her to the fireplace. He pulled her into another kiss, this time fully on her mouth, and was gratified to feel her arms slip around his neck as she parted her lips and kissed him back. Finally, he cupped her face in his hand. "Everything will be all right, Rinna," he whispered, with more reassurance than he felt.

Rinna looked doubtful. "I hope you are right, Blackie. I hope to Merlin that you are right."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! Summertime is the most hectic time of the year for a single mom, I've decided. The fabulous people who reviewed my last chapter (when it came out TWO months ago—egad!) were: Kerichi, Coryna, SJ, Kerrie the-scary-girl-next-door, SiriusRulez, Abril, MaryBeth, Rain, Sophia Loren, Heather, Lilycat, and Kez! And my lovely beta, Lorett deserves all the glory for the fabulous title of this chapter!**

**The Tatra Mountains really are in the Slovak Republic along the border with Poland, and they are amazing! Apparently the skiing there is the best kept secret of central Europe. I wouldn't know as I've only been there in the summer. I thought they'd be the perfect place to keep dragons. Jindrich (pronounced Yin-drick) is the Slovak equivalent for Henry, and the name of one of my cousins' husband. How's THAT for useless trivia? **

**OK, enough idle chit-chat; let's get down to business. You know that review button down below? I have the utmost confidence in you, dear reader, that you know what to do. Thanks.**

20


	20. Dragons and Other Impossible Tasks

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 20: Dragons and Other Impossible Tasks**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe, and I confess to breaking the 10th commandment by coveting them. Any characters, places, necklaces, books, charms, situations, or spells that you don't find in her fabulous books, well, they belong to me! **

* * *

The cold November air felt unnaturally heavy and it took all the effort Harry had to wade through it and follow Professor McGonagall around the edge of the forest. He listened dully to the advice she was offering in an anxious voice. It went in one ear and out the other. Finally they came to the large tent that had been erected to block the dragon enclosure.

His godmother was lurking near the entrance. Harry was beyond the ability to be surprised. McGonagall and Rinna locked eyes and Harry felt like something unspoken passed between them.

"You'll see to it that he goes into the tent, Arinna?" McGonagall asked her.

"Of course. What did you think I'd planned to do, Minerva? Kidnap him and take him abroad?"

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "That's exactly something I _would_ think you might try," she said evenly.

"Don't think the idea hasn't tempted me," the younger witch replied under her breath.

"Or me either," the deputy headmistress noted. She turned to Harry. "You're to go in here with the other champions and wait for your turn, Potter." Her voice was shaky. "Mr. Bagman is in there… he'll be telling you the procedure." She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "Good luck." ()

"Thanks," Harry said flatly at her retreating back. He stood awkwardly for a moment, shuffling his feet. Suddenly he was enveloped in a huge hug as his godmother wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm not supposed to be here," she whispered. "Fortunately, Minerva is a soft touch where you are concerned."

Harry was momentarily distracted from his anxiety as he looked at Rinna incredulously. "Soft touch? She almost rides me harder than Snape does!"

Rinna ruffled his hair. "I know. It's her bizarre way of showing affection. It took me four years at Hogwarts to figure that out."

Harry felt her slip something around his neck. He looked down and fingered a silver amulet that hung from an intricate chain. Standing out in relief was a dragon, a Chinese Fireball. Harry looked up at her quizzically.

"It was my stepfather's," she explained. "He was an amazing man… His name was Lau Loong." She looked at Harry significantly. "One interpretation of his name is 'Dragon Slayer.'"

Harry's eyes bugged out. "But I can't… I'm not meant to… I can't kill a dragon!" he gasped.

Rinna shook her head. "No. Not kill it. Just get past it." She patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Hermione said you have a plan?"

The panic that had been briefly held at bay by the unexpected appearance of his godmother came rushing back to him. His mouth went dry and he gulped nervously. "Yeah. A plan…"

Rinna closed his hand around the amulet. "Focus, Harry. You can do this. I know it," she said firmly.

"Right," he croaked faintly.

"You'd best get in," she said softly before pulling him into one more hug. Then she released him and watched him disappear behind the tent flap.

----- -----

Rinna made her way numbly to the stands, a leaden feeling pulling her heart to the pit of her stomach. She had loathed to let Harry pass into that tent, but had no choice, binding magical contracts being what they are. She stopped suddenly, arrested by a mental picture of a woman with chestnut-colored hair squeezing a red-headed girl's hand reassuringly as her father came to collect her for his allotted two weeks.

Rinna closed her eyes. Part of her had always hated her mother for sending her little girl into danger each year, even when she'd grown old enough to understand that Avril had had no choice; her father and the Office of Nuptial Regulations had seen to that. But after watching Harry enter that tent, the hatred finally died because she understood now that her mum had felt exactly _this_ way each time; leaden and numb and unable to fight the binds of the divorce and custody contract. Rinna swayed. _Not now. I will not think of this now—_

"Whoa, Dunnie! Easy there!"

A hand gripped Rinna's shoulder and steadied her. She opened her eyes to Nymphadora Tonks' concerned expression. Grateful for her friend's timely interruption and distraction, she asked, a bit shakily, "Dorrie, what are you doing here?" She took in Tonks' Auror robes and had her answer.

"I'm part of the law enforcement contingent here today. I had to jump through a few hoops, and call in a few favors, but here I am!" Tonks peered into Rinna's face. "You okay?"

Rinna grimaced. "Don't I look okay?"

"Actually, you look like hell. That's why I asked."

"Thanks, Dorrie," Rinna said sarcastically. "I've been better." She noticed that her friend was carrying a small cage. "What is the wee owl for?"

"Oh, well, as you know, Scops owls are great for fast, short range communications. Great for a quick report to, say, someone stationed out in the woods here."

Rinna paled. "Those two reckless fools aren't—"

Tonks interrupted. "Our mutual friend Remus decided to come to the area, lend his support in spirit and all that, and it wouldn't surprise me if he brought that stray mongrel of his…" she trailed off, looking at Rinna significantly.

Rinna understood. She sighed, and then said pointedly to the young Auror, "One thing you should just resign yourself to, Dorrie: Marauders like to get their way."

Tonks' grin had a slight leer to it. "Now that is a topic I want to revisit at a more appropriate time, Dunnie!" She looked around. More bodies were pressing around them. She needed to return to work. "Once I'm officially off duty, I'm going to take a stroll in the woods… to, uh, clear my head."

"I'm sure I'll have to clear mine as well," Rinna noted, "so I'll likely catch up to you then."

Tonks gripped Rinna's upper arm and pulled her close. "Don't worry, luv, everything is going to be fine," she said in a low voice.

Rinna made her way to the teachers' section in the stands. She was glad Dorrie was here today. Of course, she had no doubt Tonks had finagled the assignment so she could arrange for the lads to be in the woods, and so she could be near Rinna, in case something awful happened. _Perish the thought. Everything will be fine._

----- -----

Cedric Diggory, the first Champion to undergo his task, was flamed by the dragon and suffered burns. Rinna was one giant knot of anxiety, concerned for him and for the three other youths who had yet to compete.

Fleur Delacour's Entrancement Enchantment put the dragon to sleep, but did not keep it from snoring out a jet of flame. She, too, caught fire, but had the presence of mind to put it out with her wand before she was seriously injured. Rinna had to restrain herself from gnawing off her fingernails.

Viktor Krum used the Conjunctivitis Curse brilliantly and Rinna felt very guilty that she hadn't broken the rules and taught Harry that one herself.

Rinna's stomach threatened to turn itself inside out as Harry stepped out into the arena. Following on the heels of Viktor Krum, he really looked like a lost little boy. For one mad instant, Rinna felt like leaping to her feet and screaming for him to stop, but suddenly he gripped the amulet at his neck and his face changed. Even at a distance, she could see the expression of determination as he extended his arm and pointed his wand in the direction of Hogwarts, and shouted something. _Did he just use a Summoning Charm?_

The moments stretched into eternity until, sure enough, Rinna spotted something flying through the air toward Harry: his broom! "Oh, brilliant, Harry! Well done!" Rinna shouted even as the rest of the spectators in the stands broke into an uproar when the broom came to a stop in front of him.

Rinna's breath caught when her godson leapt onto his Firebolt and zoomed into the air. Her heart stopped when Harry pulled out of a dive, narrowly avoiding the irate Horntail's shot of flame. It began beating again, but this time lodged in her throat when he was struck in the shoulder by one of the dragon's tail spikes.

Harry began to weave back and forth and the Hungarian Horntail's head began to sway in her attempt to keep him in sight. Higher and higher he went, ducking her flames of irritation, coaxing her upward. Rinna realized what he was trying to do as the dragon responded like a cobra before the flute of a snake charmer. She let out the breath she did not know she was holding when the dragon suddenly reared, exposing her clutch of eggs.

Harry dove, like lightning in the flesh, seized the golden egg, and shot into the sky. _He's done it!_ Rinna closed her eyes in relief; it was over. Harry had done it, and spectacularly, too! She felt like screaming to the world that Harry was her godson and how damned proud she was of him. She didn't realize she was crying, until Minerva gently pressed a handkerchief into her hand.

----- -----

Rinna paused at the flap of the first aid tent; she was sure it was Ron who was saying, "Harry, whoever put your name in that goblet— I – I reckon they're trying to do you in!" Rinna pushed her way in quietly as Ron attempted to apologize and Harry told Ron to forget it. The boys exchanged nervous grins, and in that moment, the friendship was restored.

Rinna could quite sympathize with Hermione as she burst into tears, but having finally gotten her own face dry from her recent bout of crying, she struggled to not follow suit.

"There's nothing to cry about!" Harry told Hermione.

"You two are so stupid!" Hermione shouted. ()

Rinna found herself agreeing for the moment, especially when Ron called the girl barking mad after she had hugged them and run out. Then Ron suggested the two boys go out to get Harry's scores and the look on Harry's face made her grin. Triumph and joy; she'd seen that same expression on James' face when Gryffindor had won the House Cup his final year.

Harry and Ron paused when they saw her there. Rinna's grin grew broader. "That was some pretty gutsy flying there, scamp!" she said. And then her face softened. "Your parents would have been very proud of you today, Harry," she told him gently.

Harry shoved the golden egg and his broom into Ron's hands and threw his arms around his godmother. "Thanks," he said gruffly, sounding like his throat was suddenly tight. He pulled away and started to take off the necklace she'd given him.

Rinna stopped him. "Keep it, Harry. I want you to know that I'm proud of you, too." There was an odd choke to her voice as well. Her eyes moved to his companion. "You'll take him out to get his scores, won't you, Ron?" The boy nodded.

"You're not coming to see them?" Harry wanted to know.

Rinna quickly swiped at her cheek with her fingertips. "Oh, I'll be there in a moment. I, uh, just got something in my eye…"

She heard Ron mutter as they left the tent, "Must be a woman thing. Completely barmy, crying when you weren't even hurt…well, much…"

----- -----

Rinna moved swiftly through the woods, using a Locator Charm. She had put her walk to good use, calming her emotions and getting her face dry once more. She discovered her friends in a small clearing, Tonks having arrived before her. At the sight of them turning toward her expectantly, waiting for a report about the extent of Harry's injuries, Rinna found herself bursting into tears again.

Immediately she was surrounded. Sirius pulled her to him. "Merlin, what's wrong, Rinna?" he demanded in alarm.

Tonks' hand flew to her mouth. "Harry's hurt worse than just a scratch, isn't he?" she asked in horror. Sirius and Remus gasped.

Rinna shook her head, and pulled away from Sirius. "He's fuh-fine," she sobbed out.

Sirius held her loosely at the shoulders, and shook her slightly. "Then what has you so upset?" He was annoyed that she'd given him such a fright.

"I duh-don't n-n-know!" Rinna said angrily as she pushed his arms away and sat down hard on the ground. She was trembling, and her face would not stop leaking, and she felt very out of control. "What's wrong with me?" she wailed.

Tonks sat down and pulled her into a hug. "It's nerves, luv. A bad case of nerves."

"Well, I don't luh-like it," Rinna sobbed petulantly.

Sirius had crouched down in concern, and Remus followed suit, reaching out to pat his friend awkwardly on the knees. "This is reaction setting in, I think, Rinna," Remus said reassuringly. "Your body is finally giving in to all the pent-up emotions of the last few days."

Rinna pulled her hands away from her face and looked at Remus, her breath hitching a few times before she managed, "Been guh-getting a certificate in M-mind Healing in your sp-spare time, Remy?"

Remus sat back on his rear and crossed his legs in front of him, leaning back on his hands. "Why not? I am a man of many talents, you know."

Rinna huffed out a laugh before choking on another sob. She continued to laugh and cry as Sirius stared at her and said, "She's hysterical. Someone needs to slap her." He rocked forward on the balls of his feet.

Tonks snatched Rinna away protectively. "Get away from her, you git! She just needs to get it out of her system!" Rinna began to laugh harder, which had the unfortunate effect of causing hiccups. Tonks felt her friend's body tense up even more and looked at her in concern. "Rinna?"

Red-faced and gasping for air, it became apparent that Rinna was out of control. Tonks, taking quick action, fetched her a light smack on the side of the face. "You need to snap out of it!"

"HEY!" Sirius reacted in indignation as he tried to pull his lover from his cousin's arms. "If I'm not allowed to slap her, you most certainly aren't!"

"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Remus stood up, reached between them, and pulled Rinna up by the arm. She landed against his chest and he began to murmur a Sweet-Soothing Charm over her.

Rinna didn't know whether she should be grateful or insulted as she felt the shuddering sobs diminish. After all, it was a charm whose purpose was usually to calm wounded animals or hysterically crying babies. By the time Remus had repeated the charm, even the hiccups had receded, and Rinna took in a deep, appreciative, unhindered breath. She felt Remus loosen his grip, and she stepped back and smiled at him. "Thanks, Remy."

He shrugged one shoulder. "I'm just glad it worked, because my only other plan was for all of us to start smacking you."

Rinna snorted, and looked significantly at them all. "It's a lucky girl who has such good friends," she said wryly, but she was smiling.

Sirius, who, along with Tonks, had stood when Remus had snatched Rinna away from the cousins, took her hand and pulled her closer to him. "I think you should come back with us to the house," he informed her. "You need to get away from here for a while." He looked at her hopefully.

"I think that's a splendid idea!" Tonks chimed in. She turned to cock an eyebrow at Remus. "What does Mr. Mind Healer think of that plan?"

Remus put on a thoughtful look. "I'd say that a well deserved respite is certainly called for in order to avoid a repetition of the histrionics we just observed." He raised his eyebrows at Rinna. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Hmm… sorry?" Rinna grinned. "I was just seized by a flashback of you Marauders trying to get me and Lily to skive off our prefect duties." She laughed at the twin looks of affected innocence on the two men's faces. "But you have me convinced, although I would argue that the word 'histrionics' wasn't necessarily called for. I need to go back and make sure I'm not needed for anything else, but I'll meet you in an hour?" She turned around and hooked her arms about Sirius' neck, pulling him down for a quick kiss. "And I think we need to discuss this sudden urge you have to slap me…"

Sirius practically leered at her. "The urge I have to slap you isn't nearly as strong as the urge I have to snog you."

----- -----

Sirius glanced around the living room, assessed the damage, and decided he could easily spruce it up in less than an hour. "I'll take care of picking up," he volunteered to Tonks and Remus. He smirked. That would give them some private time together in the kitchen.

Eventually he came across the box that had been hastily shoved under the coffee table a few nights ago, and he was reminded of Rinna's odd behavior about the contents. He lifted the lid. On top of the periodicals was the book she'd looked through. It had almost seemed to him that she hadn't wanted him to see that book. He picked it up, wondering why.

Rinna found him sitting on the couch with the book in his hands, unopened. She saw that the periodicals had been scattered across the table and couch. She felt a little shiver of apprehension. "What are you doing, Blackie?" she asked, trying to keep her tone light, wishing she'd had the presence of mind to put that box away the other night.

Sirius was startled out of his roiling thoughts. He jerked slightly. "I was looking through this rather impressive collection you have of dragon lore," he informed her without meeting her eyes. "And I started to wonder, Rinna, just when it was that you developed a liking for dragons."

"Oh, well, uh, the dragon industry is big in central Europe, you know," she said vaguely, desperately trying to figure out how much Sirius knew. She wished now that she'd told him, but she hadn't found an appropriate opportunity; ever since they'd become lovers again, they hadn't spent much of their time talking…

"Yes, but you were taken with them passionately enough to have articles about professional Dragon Keeping? And a book titled _The Dragon Keeper's Guide to Keeping Dragons_?" He lifted the book she'd tossed back into the box the other day for emphasis.

Rinna shifted nervously. "Look, Sirius, I can explain—"

Sirius' voice increased in volume as he talked over her. "Well, I found this book to contain some very valuable information, actually. I discovered it wasn't dragons you were so partial to; so much as you'd developed a fondness for dragon keepers. Or should I say _a_ dragon keeper."

Rinna could hear the tremor of jealousy in his voice. "Sirius," she whispered, "I didn't mean for you to find out like this…"

Sirius looked down at the book in his hands. _No, I suspect you didn't mean for me to find out at all._ He seemed strangely detached from himself as he watched his hands open the book to the writing on the inside cover. Words written in dark blue ink seemed to jab themselves sharply into his eyes: _My beautiful Rinna… without your love and encouragement, I would never have been able to write this… you are my inspiration, my passion, my light… Yours always, Jindrich…_ Sirius felt his gut wrench again. He looked at her. "You had a relationship with this man." It was a statement, not a question.

She eyed her lover. He was jealous; so much so that his eyes were practically turning green with it. "Yes, I did. But it was a long time ago," she said softly.

"What kind of relationship?" he asked, his tone still edgy, but tempered with a slight wistfulness that Rinna knew he was hoping she'd tell him it had been just a friendly, platonic situation.

Rinna's temper flared. _Does he think I lived like a nun all those years? That I would just spend the rest of my life pining away for him?_ "What—do you want all the sordid details, Sirius?" she snapped. "That we were lovers? That it lasted for almost a year and a half? Is that what you want to hear?"

Sirius threw the book back into the box, grabbed her by the arms and shook her. "I want to hear that it meant nothing to you!" His eyes bored into hers, and she saw the flicker of nervousness behind the anger.

"I can't tell you that. If it had meant nothing, it would have lasted only a week," she said softly. "But it's over. Long over. Ancient history."

"If you were still in love with me all these years as you say, how could you have replaced me like that?" His voice was raw with hurt.

Rinna angrily shoved him away from her. "Damn it all to hell, Sirius! You were GONE. You'd been in Azkaban for years! Don't you get it? I thought I would never see you again! It was like you were dead." She gave a little choking sob. "I had to go on with my life…" Tears started to slide down her face. "And no one could have replaced you in my heart, you idiot! That's why it ended more than five years ago." She turned and hastily retreated to her bedroom.

Sirius found her sitting on her bed, her head resting in her hands and her elbows on her knees. He leaned against the doorway, and let out a long breath.

Rinna stiffened, but did not lift her head. "I can't change the past," she said, the evidence of tears in her voice.

Sirius entered the room and went to stand near the bed. "I can't change how I feel, Rinna," was his quiet response. "I can't help but be jealous at the thought of another man touching you…"

She removed her head from her hands and glared up at him. "I think I've made it pretty clear who I want to be with _now_." She stood up and moved in very close. "Aren't you the one who said the past doesn't matter any more?"

Sirius growled and hooked his hand around her waist, pulling her roughly to him. With his other, he none-too-gently grabbed her chin and held her eyes locked with his. "You are mine," he said harshly.

"You know I am," she agreed.

"I'm never letting you go again." His gaze was a hot blue flame. "I will fight tooth and nail for you, Rinna, before I ever let that happen."

"I know." Her heart was pounding madly and she was finding it hard to breathe.

His voice was fierce, intense. "I want you, Rinna, only you. And I want you to want only me."

"I do. You are the only man I've given all of my heart to," she whispered.

"And I don't want anything to come between us…"

"Nothing will," she assured him. "Nothing can anymore. You have to believe that, Sirius."

"Rinna," he groaned, and he crushed her to him possessively as he forcibly met her mouth in a desperate kiss. She threw her arms around his neck and passionately returned the kiss until they both felt breathless. His hands roamed over her, stroking and touching her everywhere, erasing the memory of anyone else's touch, until she moaned his name. He released her lips, and leaned his forehead onto hers, breathing jaggedly. Finally he said, "I'm sorry I was irrationally jealous."

She caressed his cheek. "I'm sorry you were hurt. I should have told you."

He pulled her in to his chest and held her for several long moments. Very quietly he said, "Dragon-boy wasn't your only lover over these years, was he?"

She opened her mouth to answer but was stopped when he said, "No. Forget I asked. I don't need to know. You're here in _my_ arms now, and that's what matters."

She lifted her cheek off his chest. "I'm here to stay, you know. I'm like a burr stuck on a dog's coat." She smiled at his guffaw, and pulled his mouth down to hers.

Sirius gently pushed her down to the bed as he kissed her, stretching himself over her. Then he propped up on his elbow to look down at her. "Well?"

"Well, what?" She peered at him quizzically.

"We're being honest about our past here, aren't we? Don't you have something to ask me?" He raised his eyebrow meaningfully.

"You can't be serious."

"What makes you think I haven't had any lovers these past thirteen years, hmmm?" he asked, looking slightly affronted.

"In Azkaban," she said disbelievingly.

He huffed out an exasperated sigh. "I escaped from Azkaban well over a year ago, you know." He watched her raise her eyebrows skeptically. "How do you know I didn't run into some willing witch and tell her, 'You can either turn me in to the Ministry, or you can have the shag of your life.'?"

Rinna's laugh rang out, making Sirius smile. Mischief snapped in her eyes and her grin grew rather salacious. "Well," she said huskily, "I know which offer _I_ would have chosen."

He leaned over her so his lips were millimeters from hers. "You do, huh?"

"Oh yeah." She brushed her lips against his before hooking her leg around him and pulling him intimately against her. "So when do I get this 'shag of my life,' anyway?" she asked, rather breathlessly.

He rocked his hips against her in answer and growled, "Any time you want to take me up on the offer."

Rinna elegantly waved her hand, and the bedroom door shut as she whispered at it, "_Silencio_."

----- -----

Tonks registered the sound of someone flooing into the living room, and heard her former roommate and her cousin talking. Her indulgent smile quickly slid off her face in alarm as she heard her cousin's voice rise in anger.

Tonks hastened out of the kitchen in concern, Remus at her heels, resulting in witnessing the brief row in the living room. Tonks watched Sirius' face as Rinna told him, "It was like you were dead." Her heart broke a little for him when she saw the comprehension there; his absence had affected Rinna deeply. Tonks did not miss the change of expression, either, when Rinna informed him that no one had replaced him in her heart before fleeing to her room.

She crossed quickly to Sirius and put her hands gently on his shoulders. "Hey," she said softly, "You both have had a rough few days, and you need each other now." She caught Sirius' eyes. "I've never seen her as happy as she has been these past few months. She loves you. She always has." She patted his cheek. "This is not the time to bugger anything up, cousin dear."

Sirius looked intently at Tonks a few moments before he pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "Right," he said gruffly. Tonks stumbled as he abruptly let her go and strode down the hall after Rinna.

Remus deftly stepped in to catch her before she fell, but her momentum forced them both to the couch, Tonks sprawling ungracefully on a semi-reclined Remus. He let out a small "oof" as air was forced from his lungs. Tonks struggled to get herself upright.

Finally succeeding, she grinned at him. "Thanks for saving me from that fall, Remus. Very chivalrous of you. Why, if you hadn't been there, I might have landed on this nice comfy couch, and _that_ would have been terrible."

He raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that this wasn't my intention all along, O Mistress of the Backhanded Compliment?"

Tonks pulled him up next to her. "Smooth, Professor. Very sly. Much more effective than, say, asking me to sit with you on the couch."

"Nymphadora, would you sit with me on the couch?" he deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Not if you call me 'Nymphadora'." But she made no effort to get up, so he took her hand and pulled her close into the crook of his arm. She settled against him with a sigh. "On the other hand, you make a pretty convincing argument."

Remus chuckled. "And I didn't even say anything."

"Oh, you did, Remus. Just not with your mouth." Tonks' words hung in the air, heavy with implication as the two of them gazed into the fire.

Tonks heard the echo of laughter from down the hall. "Sounds like our two lovebirds have made up," she commented with a smug grin of satisfaction that grew even bigger when she heard the bedroom door slam. "Looks like I have a gift for encouraging relationships."

"You'll get no argument from me there," Remus said softly.

Sensing a change of mood, Tonks shifted around to look at him quizzically. He smiled at her, and brought her hand to his lips. "You know," he said, almost conversationally, "I've never been in a romantic relationship with someone for more than a few months."

"Why is that?" Tonks asked carefully, already guessing the answer.

Remus raised one shoulder, then let it drop. "That's how long it usually took before the lady would start asking questions, or getting suspicious. I'd had enough experiences with dates finding out about the lycanthropy that I did not want to repeat that… so, it was just easiest to end it." Regret spread across his face. "Safer to be the bastard that hurt someone, than to be the one who got hurt."

Tonks brought her hand to his cheek. It was a familiar gesture that he'd felt over and over in his dreams since that night on her balcony. The reality of the warmth of her hand was even better, and he leaned into it. Up until now, he'd really not held much hope of finding someone who would accept him as a lover if she knew of his affliction. Could it be that this young woman (_too young for the likes of you,_ the negative voice in his mind whispered) might be the one? The promise of her caress seemed to indicate it.

"Well," she whispered lightly, warmly, "it seems your luck is changing. It's been almost three months for us, and I haven't even gotten the least bit suspicious about your lycanthropy." Her smile, and the twinkle in her eyes, was quite impish. And just like that, she reminded him that she already knew, and she accepted him completely.

Warmth spread from her hand on his face into his heart, chasing away any doubts. He grinned at her. "May I kiss you, Nymphadora?"

Mischief made her eyes dance. "Only if you stop calling me 'Nymphadora'."

A look of profound regret crossed Remus' features. "Alas, that is too high a price to pay, I'm afraid." He made as if to get up from the couch but Tonks grabbed his arm.

"What do you mean?" she demanded. She was surprised by the truly wicked grin on his face when he returned to his seat and looked at her. It made her heart seem to skip a beat.

"Well, Nymphadora, when I call you by your given name, you frown."

She was confused. "So?"

"And when you frown," he continued, (and she could only describe the look on his face as 'wolfish') "you have the habit of pursing your lips together like so."

"And?" she queried, a bit impatiently.

His lips quirked to one side lasciviously. "And…when you do that, a most adorable dimple appears," and he brushed his thumb across her lower cheek, "right here."

Tonks felt her breath catch. She snaked her hand around his neck and pulled him toward her. "I think you should kiss me now, Lupin, or suffer the consequences!" she growled.

His lips brushed against hers, "I'll take that as a 'yes' then," and he snogged her thoroughly before pulling her to a standing position and slowly leading her to his room in between more kisses.

* * *

Viktor Krum was used to girls swooning over him. And he knew that they were all interested in him only because he was famous. After all, he would not be considered "handsome" by any stretch of the imagination. He was gangly, awkward, and slouchy, and while he may have had a decent enough face, he wasn't graceful; unless he was on a broom, of course. He had no illusions of himself as suave and debonair. As a result, any girl who showed more than a passing interest in him was suspicious, and met with indifference. Yet, amazingly, most girls didn't take the hint. It was galling, and very tiresome.

Viktor supposed that the first thing he noted about the Hogwarts girl with the frizzy brown hair was that she didn't act like the other girls did around him. She didn't fawn over him, giggle when he walked by, call his name or follow him like a lost puppy. She practically ignored his existence. It was refreshing. It intrigued him. It made him want to see more of this quiet girl with the ink-stained fingers.

Now that the first task was over, he'd had time to do some investigation, and so, with the confidence of one who was doing the pursuing for a change, he entered the library armed with new information, not the least of which was her name. She was there, at her usual table, a picture of calm and tranquility amid a swirl of books, ink pots and parchments that fanned out away from her like she was the eye of a hurricane. Viktor was pleased to see that the youngest Hogwarts Champion was not with her. He hadn't been back to the library with her since the first task.

Viktor smiled as he walked across the library toward her table, mostly to cover the nervousness he suddenly felt. Chasing a Golden Snitch came naturally, but chasing a girl was entirely new to him; what if this went badly? He swallowed hard as he stopped next to her and said quietly, "Miss Granger?"

Hermione was startled by a low, intriguingly accented voice. She turned to see none other than Viktor Krum smiling a bit awkwardly. The first thought that came to mind, even as she answered, "Y-yes?" was: _He looks much better when he smiles._

He cleared his throat. "I vould very much like to learn more about the Castle Hogwarts. I vas told that you are an expert on the subject," Viktor's voice rose hopefully. He was delighted to see her blush a little.

"Well, I have read _Hogwarts, A History_ a few times," she said modestly, "but I don't think that qualifies me as an ex—"

"For example," he interjected smoothly, "vould you explain to me vat is the purpose of having four Houses?"

What was he playing at? She studied him closely. He really looked like he was interested to know. "All right," she said, gesturing to a chair at the table, "I'll do my best."

Hermione didn't even really mind when the inevitable gaggle of girl admirers started lurking nearby, whispering and giggling annoyingly. After all, what was the passing irritation of a few pesky devotees compared to the heady feeling of having an older boy (and it didn't hurt that he was an internationally-known Quidditch star) hanging on your every word? Besides, she was willing to bet that none of those girls had ever gotten close enough to him to know that his eyes were hazel, there was a small cleft in his chin, and he had a rather appealing dimple in his right cheek when he smiled…

----- -----

After the excitement of the first Triwizard Task, the year had slipped quietly into December and the student enclave from Durmstrang had become just as preoccupied with finding a date to the upcoming Yule Ball as their peers from Hogwarts and Beauxbatons. Well, all of them but one it seemed. Igor Karkaroff could not understand what it was his prized student found so fascinating about the Hogwarts Library that made him visit it at least four times a week. After all, the library at Durmstrang was far superior…

* * *

Harry looked at the small note in his hand. His godmother had sent it in the Owl Post this morning, asking him to stop by and see her. He looked at the group of Ravenclaw girls in the hallway, Cho Chang in the middle. If he waited just a bit longer, Cho's friends might just leave her and he'd be able to approach her…but it would mean he'd miss his chance to go see Rinna.

He'd wait one more minute. He fumbled with a book, opening it and trying desperately to look like he always stopped to read in this part of the hallway. He cursed himself when he realized he was holding the book upside down. Okay, another minute wouldn't hurt. He glanced over the top of the book at Cho, who was happily chatting with her gaggle of friends. Really, someone should do a sociological study on why girls always seemed to travel in packs when a bloke wanted to get one alone for a moment. Maybe he'd mention that to Hermione. On second thought, maybe not.

One final minute, and that was it. He looked down at the book and realized that he'd chosen his History of Magic text to look so engrossed in. Had Cho noticed? He didn't want her to think he was a geek. He looked back up and realized that the entire Ravenclaw group had moved away, Cho right smack dab in the center of them. Damn! And now he didn't have enough time to go see Rinna.

----- -----

After dinner, Harry hurried to the Defense classrooms, poked his head into Professor Dunlevy's office and knocked politely. His godmother looked up and smiled. "Sorry I didn't come by today like you asked. Something, uh, came up," he apologized.

"Anything serious?" she asked. "You weren't dueling in the halls again, I hope." The slight smirk at the corner of her mouth indicated to Harry she was teasing. Rinna suspected she knew what was troubling Harry. She'd heard George and Fred snickering before class about Harry's and Ron's lack of dates for the upcoming Yule Ball.

"No, nothing like that."

She came around the desk and pulled up two chairs. She sat down and gestured for Harry to take the other seat. "Well, I'm done being professor for the day. Your godmother is all ears."

"Did you know that I have to open the ball with the first dance?" Harry asked her glumly.

She looked at him sympathetically. "One of your duties as a champion, I take it?" Harry rolled his eyes. "So who is the lucky girl who opens with you?"

Harry studied the floor. "Well, erm, see, that's the problem… I haven't asked anyone yet."

"Ah." Rinna nodded knowingly. "You still have time, though."

"Rinna," Harry looked at her very seriously, "I don't think you understand what's at stake here. I have to dance. With a girl. In front of everyone in the whole school. If I can't find some girl to go with me, I will die of embarrassment. And I'm not even sure if any girl would want to go with me."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about that, Harry. I'm sure you could have your pick of the girls, really. After all," she teased, "you aren't hideous by any stretch of the imagination."

"Gee, thanks. And you _have_ to say that. You're my godmother." He looked at her, desperately exuding insecurity. "If you were fourteen, would _you_ go to the dance with me?"

"If I was fourteen…" A far-away look stole across her face. _Sweet Merlin, when I turned fourteen, I would have given my eyeteeth to have one of the Marauders ask me out. And Sirius and I started dating while I was still fourteen. _She had forgotten how young she'd still been when her apparent, and reciprocated, dislike of the cocky young Gryffindor had begun to change into something much more… complicated.

"Rinna?" Harry prompted.

She smiled wistfully. "When I was fourteen, your father was certainly on my list of cute boys I didn't mind looking at." Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. "And you look remarkably like him. So, I'd have to say, that _if_ I _was_ fourteen, I would quite likely say yes… But I'm not, so no help to you there. Besides, you don't want to go with a girl who's only reason to go with you is because she thinks you're cute."

Harry furrowed his brow. "I don't? Why not?"

"Because that would be basing a relationship solely on superficialities like physical appearance, which would be shallow."

"Relationship?" Harry squeaked. "I don't want a relationship! I just want some girl to dance with me and keep me from making a fool of myself!" _Well, maybe I wouldn't mind it so much if Cho and I had a 'relationship.'_

Rinna raised both her hands up, palm out, in a placating gesture. "Fine, fine! No relationships. Just a dance partner. I get it." She pursed her lips. "I wish I had some advice for you, but I've never had to ask someone to a dance. In my day, the girls were the ones who were _asked_." She furrowed her brow in thought. "But now, times being as modern as they are, I'm surprised the girls aren't asking you!"

Harry thought of the curly-haired Hufflepuff third year who'd asked him, and flushed beet-red. "Well, actually... a third year did," he mumbled.

Rinna raised her brows. "And?"

"I didn't even know her name! She was from Hufflepuff!" he answered, a bit defensively, wondering if he had unwittingly let his only potential partner slip away. Still, he really wanted to ask Cho. "Besides, _I_ want to be the one doing the asking."

Rinna sighed. "I say, Harry, I think you are making this bigger than it has to be. You only have to ask a girl to a dance. Compared to taking on a Hungarian Horntail, how hard can this be?"

"I think I'd rather take on the Horntail again," Harry groused.

Rinna hid a smile and cleared her throat. "Listen, the reason I asked you to stop by is… You know that a shortened holiday break is being offered? The Hogwarts Express is leaving for London Christmas morning?" She watched Harry nod. "Well, I was wondering if you would want to spend the break at my house?" Rinna suddenly felt nervous; almost like _she_ was the shy fourteen-year-old asking someone to the dance.

Harry's jaw dropped. "Really? The rest of the Christmas holiday at your house? Are you serious?"

Harry's obvious elation did much to calm her nerves. "Of course I am." She smiled as Harry pumped his fist in the air. "I take that to mean you might be interested?"

"Oh yeah," was all he could manage.

"All right. But there is something you need to know." Rinna actually blushed, to Harry's surprise, which intrigued him greatly. "I don't think Molly Weasley would approve."

Harry was confused. "Why not?"

"Well… Sirius will be there…" She had to smile as Harry gave a whoop. "Listen, Harry, this is important. Molly tends to be a bit old-fashioned about such things… you know… a man and a woman, living together…"

Harry's eyes widened in comprehension. "You think she'd be upset that he's staying with you and you're not married?"

Rinna took in a deep breath and let it out. "I think she'd be upset if we had you stay there _with_ us, given those circumstances…you know, being poor role models and a corrupting influence on you and all that."

Harry bit his lip in thought, and finally said softly, "Rinna, I really want to go with you and Sirius. I've never spent a holiday with any family that cared about me before."

Rinna felt her heart break and tears filled her eyes. Harry seemed to have that effect on her more and more often these days. She pulled him into a hug. That seemed to be happening more often, too. "Then it's done. I'll make all the arrangements tonight," she assured him. He gave her a quick tight squeeze, forcing the breath from her lungs briefly, before letting go and beaming at her. In that moment she knew she would happily walk barefoot through bubotuber pus to see that look on his face again.

* * *

Hermione sat on the edge of her four-poster in her dorm room, a death grip around one of her squishy decorative pillows. She had never been so annoyed with her best friends in her life. Sure, they had had disagreements before, which had been rather hurtful (the snubbing she'd received last year over reporting Harry's gift Firebolt came to mind), but never had she felt such a strong desire to wring their stupid, shallow, unthinking, unfeeling boy-necks, the prats!

It was bad enough that they hadn't even thought to ask her to the Yule Ball until they were under the wire and all other prospects seemed slim, but then Hermione realized that it was RON who'd done the asking. Ron! Who obviously had never thought of her as anything other than one of the "guys." Harry hadn't even asked her, even in desperation! Oh sure, Harry had been willing to kiss her this past summer, when there weren't any other girls around, well except Ginny… But now, when there were obviously much prettier girls available…

No. She was not going to let her thoughts go there. Viktor had told her that HE thought she was pretty. But still, it hurt, that Harry would just forget about her like that. Especially when she'd stuck by him when Ron was being such a jealous idiot. Hermione felt tears start to prick her eyes. She was _not_ going to cry about this, she _wasn't_. After all, _she_ wasn't the one without a date to the Ball. Ha! Take _that_, Harry Potter!

Hermione wished she had someone to talk to about this; she was sure it would help her feel less violent toward the boys. Parvati and Lavender were out of the question. Ginny… well, if it had been anyone but Ron she was hacked off at, she might have talked to Ginny, but Ron _was_ her brother. Hermione turned over in her bed, shoved her face in her pillow, and screamed in vexation. In the silence that followed, her mind played a little voice in her head. _Hermione, I want you to know that you can always come and talk to me…_

----- -----

Rinna was walking briskly toward her classroom office when she saw a familiar face coming toward her. "Hermione, what are you doing here?" she asked kindly.

"Oh. I was looking for you, but you weren't in your office…" The Gryffindor girl looked upset.

Rinna cocked her head to look at her. "Is everything all right?"

Hermione was having second thoughts. This woman was Harry's godmother and Ron's cousin twice removed or something like that… "Um, well…"

Rinna studied Hermione. Something was clearly bothering the girl, but she was reticent to bring it up. "Tell you what," Rinna suggested as she hooked an arm around Hermione's shoulders and began to steer her back to the office. "Why don't I conjure us some tea, and we can talk. Or would you prefer hot cocoa?"

"Tea is fine," Hermione acquiesced and allowed herself to be led to Rinna's office. When Rinna handed her a steaming cup, she mumbled, "Thanks, Professor."

"Right now, it's 'Rinna,'" she corrected as she sat down next to the girl. "Look, Hermione, I know we're not exactly bosom buddies, but it's obvious something is bothering you and I'd like to help if I can…"

Hermione took one look at the older woman's compassionate expression, and spilled everything, from the upsetting conversation in the Gryffindor common room to Harry's snubbing of her. "And they had the gall to think I was lying when I told them someone had already asked me to the Ball!" she finished angrily. Her hands clenched into fists. "Do you think I could get away with strangling them?"

Rinna leaned back in her chair and sighed. "I think you'd get at least a detention for that," she said mildly. "Hermione, it's pretty obvious what is going on here." At Hermione's inquiring look she added, "Harry and Ron are being as thick as posts." Hermione's eyes widened at this pronouncement. "Not to mention shallow, immature, unkind and blind."

Hermione was flabbergasted. "But… but… you… you're…"

Rinna raised an eyebrow. "You don't agree?"

"Well, of course I do. But I didn't think you would say something like that about Harry."

"He may be my godson, but that doesn't mean I'm blind to his faults, you know." Rinna gave her a long look. "Your birthday was in September, wasn't it?" she asked the girl.

Confused by the sudden change in subject, Hermione answered, "Y-yes."

"You turned fifteen?"

"Right, but I don't see—"

Rinna interrupted smoothly, "And Ron's birthday is, uh, sometime in the spring, if I recall…"

"First of March," Hermione corrected, "but I don't—"

"And Harry is almost a year younger than you, then."

Hermione's voice rose in frustration. "Yes! But what has this got to do with anything?"

"Don't you see, Hermione?" Rinna explained patiently. "It is a well known fact that girls mature at a faster rate than boys. And those two are already younger than you, anyway, so the sad reality is…" she paused, looking Hermione right in the eyes, "when it comes to maturity, you are millennia ahead of them, I'm afraid."

"Oh."

Clearly, Hermione had never given much thought to the difference in ages between the Trio. It had never been an issue before. _Welcome to the disparity of puberty, my dear,_ thought Rinna.

Hermione peered at her. "So you're saying that I shouldn't blame them for being idiots?"

"Well…" Rinna chose her words carefully, "I'm saying that you need to understand that at this age, they have more of a propensity toward idiocy. It doesn't excuse idiotic behavior, but it helps you to be a bit more sensitive to their plight."

Hermione pondered this. "So I should feel sorry for them."

"They are the ones without dates for the Yule Ball, after all," Rinna pointed out. "But I think you are well within your rights to be rather brassed off at them." She raised her teacup to Hermione. "Here's to hoping they grow up soon and stop being prats!"

Hermione clinked her cup against Rinna's. "Hear, hear," she said fervently, but there was a smile on her face.

Rinna set down her teacup and leaned forward eagerly. "So," she said, the mischievous glint in her eye making her look more like a schoolgirl than a professor, "do I get to know the name of this mystery date?"

Hermione smiled slyly and leaned forward, too. "You have to promise to not tell a soul."

"I do solemnly swear," Rinna avowed as she placed her right hand over her heart.

Hermione paused in anticipation. "Viktor Krum."

Rinna's eyes widened and a delighted grin took over her face. "I say, Hermione! He's athletic, has brains, and obviously good taste in women. I think it is a brilliant match."

Hermione returned the grin, and decided she was feeling infinitely better.

* * *

Rinna slipped in the entrance doors, red-faced and out of breath from her run; she'd taken advantage of the break in the sleety cold weather when Sunday morning had cracked cold and clear. She was so tired of running in the castle, and had been almost beside herself with delight at being outdoors. Never mind that it was quite chilly, because a simple warming charm took care of that little issue until physical exercise could take over. She'd gotten so warm, she'd even stripped off the track jacket and had tied it around her waist.

She cancelled the warming charm and immediately regretted it as the cold air of the castle hit her, causing a gasp and gooseflesh. Even more alarming, though, was the strong rough hand that closed painfully around her left wrist. "I have finally remembered where I have seen you before, Professor Dunlevy," growled her assailant.

"And you have finally bothered to learn my name, Professor Karkaroff." She turned to face him, heart pounding even as her mind sharpened. She had not thought that he would have remembered their one encounter long ago. "What is it that you want?"

Karkaroff turned her hand palm up, and ran his other hand across the underside of her forearm. "Have you noticed it is becoming clearer?" his question was whispered with a hint of fear.

Rinna shivered in distaste at his touch. "I have no idea what you are talking about," she snapped. "Release me at once!" Her voice had become dangerous.

He peered closely at her left arm, running his hand across it once more, before looking up at her, startled. He dropped her arm as if it had burned him. "I-I'm sorry, Professor. Apparently, I was, ah, mistaken about knowing you…"

Rinna didn't bother correcting him, but counted her blessings that he'd been very drunk that night and had a foggy memory of her at best. She seized the opportunity afforded by his confusion at his supposed mistake and looked directly into his eyes. _Legilimens_ she chanted silently.

Her own confusion vanished as she ascertained that he'd been searching her arm for the Dark Mark. Well, it was nice to know she'd made a convincing little Death Eater devotee back in the day. She didn't dare dally in his mind; she broke eye contact and glanced at his hand. "I'd advise you to never lay a hand on me again, Professor." Her voice was deceptively calm, but rang clearly through the entrance hall.

"KARKAROFF! You traitorous bastard! What trouble are you causing now?" bellowed the voice of Mad-Eye Moody as he clambered down the stairs, wand in hand, followed by a scowling Severus Snape. Rinna and Karkaroff whirled as Moody continued his onslaught like an enraged bull moose. "You lying son of a… how DARE you accost a respected teacher at this school?"

"Quiet, Moody!" Snape snapped. "Do you want to cause a scene?"

Moody didn't even attempt a veneer of civility. "I should hex you into next year for even thinking of laying a hand on this woman! She is far too good for the likes of—" Moody broke off as his eyes raked up and down Rinna's bare arms. He seemed to choke on his words for a minute, before turning and stalking away.

Snape fingered his wand. "Igor, I suggest you leave quietly… now."

Rinna watched impassively as Karkaroff left the entrance hall, before muttering scathingly to the man beside her, "On a first name basis with old Igor, are you? I'm surprised you didn't do the secret Death Eater handshake."

He narrowed his eyes. "You're welcome."

She glared at him. "For what? I didn't need rescuing, you know; I can take care of myself!" She ignored his snort. "And why did you have to bring Mad-Eye with you?" She paused as something struck her. "Severus," she said slowly, "don't you think his reaction was rather odd?"

"I didn't bring him, he was the one who was harassing me. And I didn't think his reaction odd; the man is a complete lunatic. He always overreacts."

Rinna felt a sharp pain beginning behind her eyes, the effect of using Legilimency, and her concern over Moody was replaced by her memory of what Karkaroff had said to her. She grasped Snape's left forearm. "I say, Severus, is anything happening to your arm?"

Snape gasped and shook her hand off as if her touch pained him. His eyes glittered blackly. "What are you talking about?" he hissed.

Rinna leaned in very close. "The Dark Mark is reappearing, isn't it?" she said very quietly.

His eyes smoldered with malevolence. "What do you know about it?"

"More than you realize."

Black eyes bored into hers. "The Dark Lord marks people in many ways, Arinna." His eyes fell to her left forearm, and returned to her face. "Not all of them are visible, are they?"

Warning bells rang in her head as she utilized Occlumency a moment too late; Rinna felt pain lance through her skull. "Damn you!" she rasped, glaring.

Snape clicked his tongue. His eyes raked over her as he took in her tank-top and sweaty skin. "Put on your jacket, Dunlevy. You look like a cheap tart in that get-up."

Her eyes _Avada'd_ him. "You utter bastard."

"Does this mean you won't be my date to the Yule Ball?" he asked mockingly.

"In your dreams, Snape," Rinna snarled, and she turned to stride purposefully up the staircase, pulling on her track jacket as she went.

Severus Snape smirked momentarily at having elicited such a childish remark from her. Then he watched her disappear from sight, his lips pursed in thought.

* * *

**A/N: () McGonagall's quote outside the tent and Ron's, Harry's and Hermione's quotes inside the first aid tent come directly from JK Rowling's _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_, Chapter 20: The First Task. And the part about girls traveling in packs, and Harry rather taking on the Horntail again, while not quoted directly, were shamelessly borrowed from _GOF_ as well from Chapter 22: The Unexpected Task.**

**Big hugs go out to Coryna, SJ, Kerichi, Kerrie the-scary-girl-next-door, Lorett, Rain, Sophia Loren, siriusbrilliantbrunette, and coconut-ice agent dizzle for their fabulous reviews last chapter! You all rock!**

**And now, all my wonderful readers, is your opportunity to let me know your thoughts, feelings and issues with this chapter… you know: review! **

19


	21. The Yule Ball

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 21: The Yule Ball**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe, and I confess to breaking the 10th commandment by coveting them. Any characters, places, charms, situations, dress shops, or spells that you don't find in her fabulous books, well, they belong to me, with a few notable exceptions which will be referenced at the end of the chapter.**

**Warning: This chapter is full of romance and silliness. It simply had to be done. **

**----- ----- ----- -- - -**oOo- - -- ----- ----- -----

Nymphadora Tonks set the small cage with the owl down on the coffee table and approached the tall man who was looking out the back window. She wondered if Remus Lupin had any inkling what a scrumptious picture he made when he was contemplative, with his lean body reclined against the window frame, his face relaxed except for the small vertical crease between his brows and his generous mouth slightly open. Somehow, she doubted it. She slipped behind him and ran her hands up his back before he turned and caught her against him.

"Wotcher, Remus! Where is my Lothario cousin?"

A slow smile of admiration spread across Remus' face as he studied the woman in his arms. Her hair was dark tonight, but in keeping with the theme of the Christmas holiday, she had added green and red streaks. Her eyes were green to match in her heart-shaped face and they were crinkled in the corners by the smile she was gracing him with. He found himself marveling, not for the first time, that this chameleon enchantress would look at him like that.

He had met her the day he was helping Rinna move some things into the flat the girls had just rented; that is, he'd met her again, for the first time as an adult. He'd immediately been attracted to her, but didn't really read anything into it. After all, he'd felt the exact same thing the first time he'd seen Rinna in almost ten years, and really, he was just a man reacting to the visual image of an appealing woman. Of course, he continued to find her alluring, but two criteria kept him from examining that any further: she was Rinna's flatmate and therefore off-limits, and she was quite a bit younger than he was.

The sharp snap of fingers in front of his face broke his reverie. "Are dreams of sugar plums dancing in your head, Professor?" Tonks teased. "I asked you where Sirius was."

"Sorry," he apologized, but his expression was more roguish than remorseful. "I thought for a minute that a Christmas angel had invaded the house." She laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. "In answer to your question, he's attempting to make himself presentable."

She ran her hands down the front of him, admiring his black slacks and shirt. "I think I like the dark gothic hero look on you," she observed. "It makes me want to hurry and get to the woods so I can snog you in the dark."

He raised an eyebrow. "You would skive off lookout duty just to satisfy your base cravings?" he asked in mock-horror.

"Hmm. Good point. I guess I'll just have to snog you now, then!"

Remus grinned. "Well, if you must…"

She brushed her lips against his and whispered, "Oh, I must!" before kissing him soundly. "So what were you thinking about so intently when I came in?"

"You."

"Me? What about me?" she asked playfully.

"Well, I was thinking that it was one month ago tonight that you let me lead you into my room and…"

"And have your wicked way with me?" she finished for him with a cheeky smile as she settled her arms around his neck comfortably.

He wrapped his arms more firmly around her waist and pulled her closely to him. "You make me out to be so… dastardly," he noted. The look on her face was reminiscent of a cat that'd gotten into the cream. He chuckled, but then sobered. "And that's how some would view my intentions toward you, you realize."

She studied his face seriously. "Because you are a werewolf?"

"Not just because I'm a werewolf, you know. Because I'm much older than you. Because I am poor… it would be construed as corrupting and taking advantage of an innocent, naïve maid."

"Idiots, all of them," she said fiercely. "You are not _that_ much older than me, and you are employed for heaven's sake. Besides, I am hardly an innocent and naïve maiden!" She smirked then. "And if anyone is in danger of being taken advantage of at this moment, my dear Remus, it is you." She pointed upward toward the ball of mistletoe she'd suspended over their heads with a silent _Wingardium Leviosa _before pulling his mouth down to hers.

He decided to let the topic drop for now. After all, it was Christmas Eve. Who was he to spoil the holiday spirit? Especially when her lips were so sweet and warm and tasted like hot apple cider… He slid his hands into her hair and deepened the kiss.

"Well, I see Tonks has arrived," drawled an amused voice from the hallway.

Tonks reluctantly pulled her lips away from Remus and gave him a smoldering look that held promise of more to come later, before looking at her cousin who'd sauntered into the living room. She gave a low whistle.

Sirius teased, "See something you like, cousin?"

Tonks tossed him a cheeky grin. "I'm just thinking that Rinna is finally going to believe in Father Christmas after she sees what he's bringing her tonight." Sirius laughed.

Ever the practical one, Remus asked, "Are you sure about this, Padfoot? It's not without risk you know, and Rinna may not be in a position to play along…"

"That's why I've asked you two to act as lookouts. You'll figure out some way to divert any Ministry officials. With you two at my back, the risks are practically non-existent." Sirius grinned winningly, looking every bit the part of the dashing rascal. "And furthermore, Rinna has never been able to resist the temptation of an illicit rendezvous."

Tonks looked between the two men, and felt like she was getting a small taste of what it must have been like to hang out with the Marauders in their heyday. "Well, he _has_ managed to elude capture all this time, you know. And who better to have watching his back than us?" She really had no worries about Rinna's participation once she figured out what they all were planning.

Remus nodded. "And he's been a dab hand at the covert _l'affaire du coeur_ for quite a while…" he noted. "Besides, he did clean up rather nicely. It'd be a shame to let all that hard effort go to waste."

Sirius ignored his friend's jibing. "So what are we waiting for?" he demanded eagerly.

**----- ----- ----- -- - -**oOo- - -- ----- ----- -----

Rinna smoothed down the satin of her gown and shivered in feminine delight at the rustle of long skirts. She was forced to admit that she'd had fun getting in touch with the girly part of her and playing dress-up a few weeks ago when she and Tonks had gone dress shopping at Madame Malkin's. And even tonight, as she'd dressed and transfigured some jewelry and put jeweled clips strategically in her hair, she'd enjoyed herself, although she had felt a bit melancholy as she remembered the excitement and giddiness associated with the dances she had attended as a schoolgirl. She sighed. The night would be filled with bittersweet memories, she knew.

She was lurking in the entrance hall, which was beginning to fill with students in fancy dress robes, keeping an eye out for her godson and his fellow Gryffindors. She wanted to see how handsome he would look in his dress robes and make sure they were straight, and calm his nerves if she could, and admire what a nice looking couple he and Parvati Patil would make, and try to tame his unruly hair with some spit on her fingertips… _My stars, I'm getting all motherly; just the thing to completely embarrass a fourteen-year-old. Steady, Rinna girl, no disgusting displays, now. Keep your cool…_

It was a good thing that she'd just made her resolution, for at that moment her quarry came around the corner she had staked out; Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan with Lavender Brown, Ron and Harry and Parvati, and every mothering instinct in Rinna began screaming inside her. She took a calming breath before she hissed quietly, "Ron Weasley, get over here!"

The group stopped right in front of her, the boys eyeing her up and down, looking gobsmacked. Normally she'd have been a little irritated at the cheek of fourth years ogling her, but she was more horrified by the sight of Ron's robes. _Dear Merlin, did he take a butcher knife to the collar?_ "Ron," she said calmly, "I need to speak with you for a moment… over there where it's quiet." She indicated they go around the corner to a small alcove off the hall. "Parvati, do you mind if Harry comes, too? I'll keep him only a moment." She flashed a winning smile at the girl who murmured her acquiescence. Rinna practically dislocated the arms of the two boys in her haste to the alcove.

For the life of him, Harry could not think of what he or Ron had done that they were being hauled off to a corner like recalcitrant preschoolers. Ron looked at Harry with wide uncertain eyes as Rinna spun him to face her. "Sweet mother of Morgana," she muttered, appraising his apparel, "we have _got_ to do something about these robes. They're ghastly."

Both boys relaxed as they realized that the maroon monstrosity masquerading as dress robes that Ron's mother had bought were what had Rinna in such a state. "I know. I tried to get off all the lace and frills with a Severing Charm…" Ron moaned miserably.

"Well," said Rinna crisply, "this won't do at all. I will _not_ have any cousin of mine looking like a tatty old couch if I can help it."

"Cousin?" Ron looked confused.

Rinna regarded him tartly. "Surely you remember that we are third cousins, Ron. On your mother's side?" She almost laughed at his expression; he had forgotten. "This wont take long," she said, and lifted her skirts to expose a black high-heeled shoe and a shapely calf. Strapped snuggly to her lower leg was a leather sheath which held her wand. She pulled the wand out, noting, "I'm glad this is a long skirted type of affair; I hate having this blasted thing strapped to my thigh." She straightened and glanced at the two boys; their eyes looked like they were going to pop out. Honestly, if she'd known that dressing up would have this effect on the male half of the teenaged population at Hogwarts, she'd have worn an uptight Victorian-cut robe like McGonagall.

"All right, hold still," she told Ron as she circled around him, muttering Transfiguration Charms, tugging here and there, smoothing the shoulders and sleeves of the robes until she was satisfied. "Huh," she grunted as she stepped back to observe her handiwork. "A bit darker on the color… and…there! That is much better if I may say so myself." The robes were a very dark burgundy, and cut in a classy style with elegant black trim. They fit Ron well, and made him look less gangly than usual.

"Wow! Nice job, Fairy Godmother," Harry said cheekily to Rinna, but the impressed look on Harry's face told Ron all he needed to know.

"I want to see," he said eagerly. Rinna laughed and obligingly conjured a large mirror which she held in front of him. "Bloody hell!" Ron breathed. "Oh, sorry," he apologized as he lifted his flushed happy face to Rinna, "didn't mean to swear. It just looks ruddy fantastic!"

Rinna laughed again. "It's all right, Ron." She cocked her eyebrow at him, and told him with a wicked grin, "I'm sure the girls will be falling all over themselves to get to you… you look abso-bloody-lutely handsome." Ron flushed, and ran his hands appreciatively down the front of his new robes.

The mirror disappeared with a small pop as Rinna turned to Harry. "You look rather dashing, too, Harry." Nostalgia swirled in her eyes. "You remind me so much of your father, seeing you all decked out like this…" She shook her head, and smiled at him. "I just wanted to tell you that you will do fine out there. You have a natural grace that will serve you well, and you won't be in the spotlight for very long…"

Harry gulped nervously at the thought of dancing in front of all those people. "Uh, thanks. I think."

Rinna studied him for a minute, still smiling, before saying to herself, "Damn, but I can't take it." She realized she'd spoken aloud when Harry looked at her quizzically. "Harry, I promised myself I wouldn't, but seeing you looking so…" She broke off and tried again, "So I am probably going to embarrass you, and I'm sorry, but just let me do this and get it out of my system and we'll never speak of it again, or maybe even laugh about it in ten years." It came out in a rush.

Harry had a sudden heart-stopping moment as she stepped up to him when he thought she might kiss him, so it was a great relief when she merely licked her fingertips and used them to try to smooth down his hair. She stepped back and smiled sheepishly, all traces of the Professor gone; she was at that moment his adoring godmother and he felt his heart swell at the affection she'd shown. He grinned at her.

"Sorry," she said quietly, "I'll try to better behave myself the rest of the night."

He smirked impudently. "Why start now?" he quipped, eyebrows raised in wicked challenge.

"What? Is that any way to speak to your godmother, you cheeky scamp?" she said in feigned outrage, and cuffed him gently on the shoulder. "Get back out there, you; your date is waiting!"

Ron and Harry grinned and moved back toward the entrance hall. Then Harry turned around and said seriously, "You, uh… you look beautiful, Rinna." Ron murmured his agreement, and the two boys flashed smiles at her before making their way into the crowd of students. Rinna chuckled; those two were well on their way to mastering the trademark Marauder smile.

**----- ----- ----- -- - -**oOo- - -- ----- ----- -----

Harry was relieved when the first dance was over, and he practically dragged Parvati back to the table where Ron and Padma were sitting. At least he hadn't made a complete ass of himself out there; Rinna had been right. Speaking of his godmother… Harry noted that she was politely extricating herself from the clutches of Ludo Bagman; he had managed to commandeer her for the first dance. Harry was distracted by a voice very close by.

"I'm telling you, it would be a shame if she is stuck dancing with old men all night. Or worse, dancing with Snape or Karkaroff."

Harry swiveled his head around and noticed a knot of sixth and seventh year boys, and their dates, talking. It was Cedric Diggory who had spoken.

"Who else is there for her to dance with? It seems her beau didn't show up," said a tall seventh year Ravenclaw.

"That's so sad," said Cho Chang, "She looks so beautiful, too."

Harry peered in the direction they all were looking, and realized they were talking about Rinna. He didn't have to return his attention to the older students to know who was talking next; he recognized the voice of Lee Jordan. "You know what has to be done, gents. We cannot in good conscience allow such a fair flower to be a wallflower, now can we?"

"What do you propose?" asked the Ravenclaw boy. (Harry remembered that he was Lisa Turpin's brother.)

"Why, we all should ask her to dance," said Fred Weasley. There was a general cacophony of startled voices until Fred raised his voice a little. "Not all at once, but one at a time, all of us blokes, we can cut in one after the other and show the good Professor that we appreciate her and at least maybe she will have a good time for a few minutes…"

"What?" Angelina Johnson said. "And just what are your dates supposed to do in the meantime? We want to dance, too!"

"C'mon, Angelina," Lee wheedled, "it's only for a song or two. And you should applaud us for being chivalrous and courtly and all that; coming to the rescue of a damsel in distress."

"Somehow, Professor Dunlevy doesn't strike me as the damsel in distress type," Angelina noted with a snort, but the other girls shushed her.

"It's only for a few minutes," said Cho, "and I think the boys are being awfully sweet…"

In the end, a good number of upperclassmen lined up, from all houses, even some Slytherins and a few lads from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, as word of the plot to make sure Professor Dunlevy got to dance spread around the room.

----- -----

Rinna glanced around the Great Hall, watching as students began pairing up and stepping out to the dance floor, half paying attention to what Hagrid was saying about the care of the magnificent Beauxbatons flying horses. The rest of her mind was preparing herself for a rather uneventful night of small talk, making nice among the staff and visitors, and she had drawn the lot for a mid-evening patrol of the rose garden on the front lawn. She sighed in relief at that, knowing that there were likely to be snogging couples by then, but it would be too early yet for any truly inappropriate behavior, thank Merlin. McGonagall and Snape had the late patrol, and as far as she was concerned, she was more than happy to let _them_ have the reputation of prudish killjoys.

She smiled a bit nostalgically. Thoughts like those made her think of dances past and snogging in private corners of gardens with a certain Marauder… she sighed and found herself missing Sirius terribly. And it was a shame he wouldn't see her in this dress; she was certain he'd have appreciated it. She'd worn a dress almost the exact same color to the dance at the end of her fifth year… She smiled and tapped her foot in time to the music as she imagined the expression on his face if he could have seen her coming down the marble staircase…

"Excuse me, Professor Dunlevy?"

Rinna's musings, and Hagrid's ramblings, had been interrupted by Cedric Diggory. Rinna smiled at him. "What is it, Cedric?" she asked kindly.

"I was wondering if…uh, well, if you would like to dance?"

Rinna regarded him bemusedly. "I beg your pardon?"

"I asked if you might like to dance," Cedric repeated with an uncertain smile.

She really hadn't considered this possibility. She glanced at the other female teachers. Did students ever ask them to dance? Somehow, she doubted it. What should she do? She gazed at Cedric, who was looking at her hopefully and thought _why not?_ After all, this might be the only opportunity to dance any more tonight. She smiled at him and said, "It's sweet of you to ask, Cedric. I'd like that very much."

It didn't take long for Rinna to figure out what was going on; she'd been dancing with Cedric for less than a minute when George Weasley cut in and laughingly twirled her. He was followed by Lawrence Turpin from Ravenclaw, Lee Jordan, Fred Weasley, Rastislav Tsvako of Durmstrang, Adrian Pucey of Slytherin… eventually Rinna estimated that at least one-third of the upperclassmen boys had spun her around the dance floor for a few seconds.

"This isn't going to go on all night, now is it?" she laughingly asked Geoffrey Abbott, a sixth year Hufflepuff as he stepped in to take his turn.

Geoffrey grinned winningly. "Oh no, Professor. We just thought it would be a shame if someone as striking as yourself weren't seen on the dance floor. Or worse, if the only place you were seen was on the arm of some old geezer."

Rinna's current young gallant was startled by a harrumph and a tap on the shoulder. "I hope you won't mind if this old geezer cuts in, Mr. Abbott?"

"Cer-certainly not, Sir!" the Hufflepuff boy stammered, and bowing, he relinquished Rinna's hand to the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

Dumbledore's eyes were merry as he waltzed Rinna around. "It has been a very long time since Hogwarts has had a young, unmarried and if I may be so bold as to say so, radiant-looking female teacher. I'd quite forgotten what kind of affect such a person had on the male students."

Rinna blushed slightly and smiled. "If I'm to believe what I was told, their intent was rather gentlemanly and thoughtful…"

"Ah, yes; saving you from the clutches of the old geezers." Dumbledore's expression was pure mischief. "It appears I have foiled their plans, then." Rinna laughed. "But Minerva felt it best if I come rescue you. Apparently the fourth and fifth year boys, not wanting to be outdone, were planning to take over where the upperclassmen left off…"

Rinna's eyebrows went up. "Oh Merlin. Then thank you… hang on, did you say that Minerva thought I needed rescuing?"

"Well," Dumbledore explained with a sly smile, "she remembers what it was like… being the only young, unmarried and radiant female teacher at the school dance…"

Rinna's head swiveled around to peer at McGonagall in her red tartan dress robes and her thistle-wreathed hat. She imagined her younger, much younger, and smiled. "Do you mean to tell me the boys weren't too intimidated to ask her to the dance floor?" she queried.

Her partner chuckled, and told her in a conspiratorial tone, "One young man asked her, on a dare, I believe, and after that… why they were afraid _not_ to ask her, she was smiling so much."

Rinna laughed as the music ended and Dumbledore walked her off the dance floor. She wondered if it had been a dare that started her own stint as the belle of the ball, and if the motives were purely for the purpose of sucking up to her, or were they nobler as her young squires had claimed. Whatever the case, she'd had fun, and found that, really, she cared not one iota about motives at this point.

----- -----

It would be fair to say that a good many of the fourth and fifth year boys who had gathered informally near the punch fountain to plot to take over for the upperclassmen were rather disappointed to see Professor Dunlevy leave the dance floor, but Harry wasn't one of them. He had had quite enough of dancing for the night, thank you very much. Although, dancing with his godmother might not have been so bad…

Rinna was glad to use her thirst as a pretext to escape the boring small talk. She politely made her excuses and turned for the punch fountain where she'd seen the fourth and fifth years gathered. She smiled and greeted students as she made her way, admiring dresses and brushing off compliments. She could feel the underlying excitement as the teens waited for the Weird Sisters to launch into the loud, raucous music they were best known for. She was near her destination, pleased that she would be passing right by Harry so she could compliment him on pulling off the first dance. She had just caught Harry's eye, when an elegantly clad young man wearing black velvet dress robes with a high collar, and looking very much like his father at that moment, moved to intersect her route and inclined his blond head.

Draco Malfoy was feeling rather cheated; he would not get to dance with Professor Dunlevy. He knew that she would have been impressed because, after all, Draco was a fine dancer. He would have given her a proper turn around the dance floor, unlike those other oafs. His eyes searched for her, and widened as he saw her coming toward him. Maybe he could make a good impression anyway… "Excuse me, Professor," he said smoothly, stepping slightly into her path with a small nod of his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Potter frown.

Draco smirked inwardly, but put on his best dazzling smile. "Professor Dunlevy, may I say that you look exquisite this evening?" He was pleased to see Potter scowl deeply and turn rather red. This was going to be fun! He took the Professor's hand and brought it to his lips in a gallant gesture he'd seen his father execute many times. "If Slytherin-green wasn't already my favorite color, it certainly would be now."

Harry seethed as he looked at Rinna's gown. It was green. It was a rather attractive color on her. It certainly wasn't "Slytherin-green" he scoffed to himself. Was it? Of course not! That idiot Malfoy didn't know what he was talking about. "Slytherin-green" indeed! It was really more of a… well, it reminded him of… okay, it was some _other_ shade of green, of that he was sure.

Draco's casually self-assured demeanor and his I-know-I-can-make-the-girls-swoon smile were very reminiscent of the teenaged Sirius; which, of course, reminded Rinna that Draco was related to her lover. _He's the son of a Black. That smarmy charm oozing out of his pores must be a genetic trait. _Her lips curved into a smile.

Rinna chuckled and gently pulled her hand from his grasp. "Why, Mr. Malfoy. Does your mother know what a charmer you are turning into?" Her light tone held the slightest bit of reproof. Rinna couldn't help but smirk when Pansy Parkinson, looking remarkably like a pink thundercloud, latched possessively onto Draco's arm. "I hope you and Miss Parkinson have a wonderful evening," she told them, and moved toward the punch.

Pansy was hissing at Draco like a crazed goose, but she flounced off in a huff at his quiet, clipped reply. George and Fred, who'd witnessed the entire exchange, decided to take advantage of the fact that Malfoy was not accompanied by his two goons and actually was the only Slytherin in the vicinity to teach him a lesson. They moved forward, each twin catching one of Draco's shoulders with their own, knocking him over. Fred solicitously grabbed the front of Draco's robes to help him up while George warned him in a low voice, "Oh ho, she's way out of your league, ferret." The flick of George's eyes toward the punch table left no doubt in Draco's mind which "she" the twins were referring to.

Draco seethed as Fred made a show of smoothing down the lapels of Draco's robes. "Sorry 'bout that," he said loudly, "no harm done." The twins walked away, leaving Draco to glare at Ron and Harry before realizing that he was among mostly Gryffindors. He pulled himself up haughtily in an attempt to regain his poise before he turned stiffly and walked away, reminding Ron of a cat that had gotten unexpectedly wet. The altercation had taken very little time at all, and most who were not in the immediate vicinity had no idea what had just happened.

Ron turned to Harry in glee. "Didja see that?" he asked, but was disappointed to realize that Harry was distractedly looking at his godmother. "Hey, mate, you all right?" Ron asked in concern.

Harry was not all right. Malfoy's words had disturbed him deeply. He turned to his best mate, and voiced his troubled thoughts: "Ron, what color would you say Rinna's gown is?"

"What?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Her dress. What color is it?"

Ron sputtered, "Harry, are you telling me that you missed seeing Fred and George take the piss out of Malfoy?"

But Harry was already brushing aside Ron's comment; he'd seen Hermione and Krum strolling off the dance floor toward the punch fountain. He dashed up to Hermione and tugged at her elbow. "Mione, can I speak to you a moment?" He smiled nervously at Viktor. "It won't take long." He pulled her aside.

"What's the matter, Harry?" Hermione queried breathlessly. When she'd seen the determined look on Harry's face as he pulled her away from Viktor, she'd been sure that Harry was about to reveal that he'd realized he'd made a huge mistake in not asking her to the Ball, and would she please leave Viktor to dance only with him? She couldn't have been more wrong, much to her dismay.

"Look at Rinna," Harry demanded in a low voice. "What color would you call her dress robes?"

Hermione's jaw dropped slightly. _This_ was what Harry wanted: to discuss his godmother's _dress_? "You pulled me away from my date to ask me _that_?" She was clearly not pleased. "I would call that color 'green,' Harry." She peered at him closely. "You know," she said a bit nastily, "it's not uncommon for males to have red-green color blindness… maybe you should have that checked out." She huffily pulled her elbow away from his hand and returned to Viktor.

Harry instantly realized his mistake; Hermione wasn't the kind of girl who went dotty over things like ball gowns. He looked around for someone more qualified to answer his question. Lavender Brown was standing conveniently near Parvati, so Harry strolled over in what he hoped was a casual manner and stopped in front of the girls. Parvati looked up hopefully, but Harry did not ask her to dance again. Instead, he asked Lavender to describe the color of Professor Dunlevy's gown. Parvati pouted as Lavender began to talk enthusiastically.

"Professor Dunlevy looks absolutely smashing in that color, doesn't she? It brings out her eyes. She could wear just about any shade of green, really, with her coloring. Even mint-green. Although the yellowy-greens wouldn't be very complimentary. Chartreuse for example…"

Harry's head began to reel, and he murmured his thanks as he turned away. Parvati grabbed him. "Harry, do you think that I should have worn a green dress?"

"Uh, no," he told her. "Your dress looks fine. It's really, um, pretty… that color." He took her by the elbow to lead her to the table where Ron and her sister Padma were sitting. Harry wasn't terribly upset when a boy from Beauxbatons asked Parvati to dance shortly thereafter.

Fred and George came by and seized the empty seats next to Harry. "We got one over on snotty Ferret-boy, didn't we, Harry?" Fred asked.

"Did you see it? It was poetry, a work of art," George added. "We'll teach him to get cheeky with the G.M., won't we?"

Harry nodded absently, but then he turned to them with hope on his face. "You two are pretty observant, don't you think?"

"Of course!" they answered in unison.

"Nothing gets by you, right?"

"Right," was the twins' simultaneous assurance.

"Good." Harry was going to try a different tactic. "So look at the G.M. a minute." He grinned as their heads moved together to comply. "Now, would you say her dress robes are more of a grassy-green, or a, uh, a… leafy-green?"

Two incredulous faces turned back to him. "Uh, Harry?" said George, "Only girls make up names for colors like that. You feeling okay?"

"Yeah, should we be concerned, mate?" Fred added. "You're not taking a sudden poncey interest in women's fashions, are you?"

"No! No," Harry hastily reassured them. The two lads shrugged and left to find their dates. Harry sighed in frustration. "I just want to know what color Rinna's dress is," Harry muttered.

Ron leaned over, anxious for his friend. "You keep asking that question. What answer will it take for you to stop asking that question, Harry?"

"When someone assures me that there is no way in hell that Arinna Dunlevy would be wearing _Slytherin-green_!"

**----- ----- ----- -- - -**oOo- - -- ----- ----- -----

Rinna sipped her punch and observed the goings-on in the Great Hall with much interest. Everywhere she turned, the drama that was teenaged romance was playing out; be it coquettish looks or huffy pouts, giggling girls gossiping or boys bracingly slapping their mates on the back, hearts pounding nervously or hearts shattering into a million anguished pieces…

Her eyes found Hermione and Krum on the dance floor, and she was entranced. Hermione looked beautiful (and Rinna had been secretly rather smug at the attention she had garnered when she had entered the hall on Viktor's arm) and her escort had eyes only for her. Hermione kept glancing shyly up at him and blushing. A smile crept slowly across Rinna's face. There was romance budding here; she'd bet a thousand Galleons on it. Her smile grew wistful, and she found herself once again missing Sirius.

She searched for Harry and found that he was sitting and watching Hermione and Viktor as well, an odd expression on his face. Actually his gaze moved back and forth between that couple and Cedric Diggory dancing with Cho Chang, but it also sought her out a few times, and he always frowned when he looked at her until he saw her looking back. He waved covertly. She could sense that Harry was rather vexed by something that seemed to be bothering him; surely he hadn't interpreted her dancing with the older boys as being disloyal to Sirius? More likely, she thought, he was fuming at the cheeky presumption of Draco Malfoy. At any rate, he was obviously not one of the giddily happy attendees tonight.

And neither was Ron, by the expression on his face as Hermione went to sit with the boys after the song ended. He was scowling, and alternating between petulant and outraged as he spoke with Hermione. She left in a snit, as did Ron's date but Ron didn't notice that; he watched Hermione intently and his heart was an open book on his newly transfigured sleeve. Harry may have been confused about his feelings for two different girls, but Ron was clearly jealous of Hermione being with Krum.

Rinna closed her eyes for a moment and remembered her fourth year, back when matters of the heart had that sense of life and death urgency. She'd been boy-crazy then, torn between crushing on one Marauder while finding herself very confused about her feelings for another. She snorted and smiled. It had been the year of awkwardness and angst and yet, in spite of it all, she had survived. She had no doubt her favorite current fourth years would as well.

----- -----

A small owl flew into the transformed Great Hall and landed on the back of a chair near Rinna before turning its round eyes on her and hooting softly. It extended its leg politely, a note obviously attached. "For me?" Rinna queried, surprised. The owl hooted again, apparently in the affirmative, leg still outstretched. Rinna took the note, and the owl immediately flew off. The sender wasn't expecting a reply, then. Curious, she opened the parchment: _I think you should come outside_, it read in familiar handwriting.

Rinna's eyes grew wide. _He couldn't possibly be… could he?_ She closed the note, and opened it again. No change. She spoke a decoding spell over it. It remained the same. She surreptitiously glanced around to see if anyone had taken notice of the owl, then looked at the note once more. Her heartbeat had broken into a staccato rhythm, a silly little smile had spread across her face, and her stomach had turned all fluttery. Sirius was inviting her to a clandestine rendezvous, just like in the old days. _Except back then if you were caught, Sirius wouldn't be facing the Dementor's Kiss_, her brain (which apparently was abstaining from frolicking in the physiologic mayhem the note had wreaked on the rest of her body) reminded her.

She crumpled the note in her hand. _Of all the impulsive, dangerous, risky, rash things to do; showing up here like this, when Ministry officials and all sorts of people who would be very happy to have Britain's Wizarding World's most wanted man captured were milling about! _Rinna felt her breath quicken in irritation at the brash actions of her lover. _Well, he is acting very much in character for Sirius_, her mind pointed out calmly, and she couldn't help the tiny smile and snort. Still, it wasn't going to stop her from giving him a piece of her mind.

Didn't he realize that the thought of losing him again made her feel very panicky and quite nauseous?

Rinna schooled her features to a pleasantly neutral smile and decided she would start her patrol of the gardens a wee bit early.

It was remarkable, really, how many emotions and reactions in her body that man could evoke with a single sentence. Even as she stood at the top of the lawns and scanned the grounds she alternated between giddiness at seeing her lover (_I'll get to dance with him!_), and fury at his reckless behavior (_The impetuous git!_). She frowned, eyes roaming the landscape once again, and tried to reason out the most likely place he'd be… _ah ha!_

She spelled her heels to muffle her footfalls as she glided toward her chosen destination, and the arms of her sweetheart. A low bark and a rustle of sound she'd long ago associated with an Animagus transformation indicated she was near. And suddenly there he was, dressed in the fine wool slacks and silk shirt she'd bought for him as an early Christmas gift, looking drop-dead gorgeous, a dangerously sexy smirk on his lips. He raked his eyes over her appreciatively and gave a low whistle. "Ruby, you take my breath away."

With a flourish of her wand, Rinna executed silencing, warming and concealment charms in quick succession before planting her hand firmly on her hip and raising her eyebrow at her grinning beau. "Sirius Black, what in the name of Merlin were you thinking, coming here like this? There are probably warning spells against you all over this castle! You could be caught! You could… mmpff." Sirius had closed the short distance between them, gathered her swiftly in his arms and silenced her decisively with a fiery kiss. All the half-formed words of her tirade jumbled to a screeching halt in the back of her head as the sensuous movement of his lips on hers flooded her synapses with scold-stopping sensations. Her arms slipped up to twine around his neck as she deepened the kiss, and they spent the next few minutes pressed impossibly close to each other while their tongues and lips danced.

"Rinna," he murmured eventually, as he cupped her face in his hand and gazed at her affectionately, "don't wind yourself up so tightly. I've been in correspondence with Dumbledore, and he informed me that all the warning charms against me that were placed last year have been disarmed. Tonks got an untraceable owl for me to use, and I came with Remus and Tonks, who are acting as scouts even as we speak…" He grazed his thumb lovingly over her lips. "So you see, I'm not behaving as rashly as you think I am. This is a well-thought-out, well-executed venture." His lips quirked lopsidedly. "I have learned a _few_ things the last thirteen years, you know."

She smiled at that, relief evident in her eyes. "Is that so? Have you learned impulse control, Blackie?" she asked mischievously, twirling her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck.

He chuckled. "When it comes to you… I'm afraid not," he said with not-quite-convincing regret.

"Good." Rinna pressed her hand against his head and drew his mouth toward hers. Their world was narrowed to the soft sounds of the Weird Sisters playing in the distance, and the whisper of lips on skin and the rustle of hands brushing across clothing.

The music changed as the band moved into a slow set, and Sirius looked up from where he'd been tracing the edge of the bodice of her gown with his lips. He stepped back and took her right hand. With a devilish smile and a courtly bow, he brought her knuckles to his mouth and said, "May I have the honor of this dance, Miss Dunlevy?"

Rinna smiled and tossed her chin coquettishly. "Why Mr. Black, it would be a pleasure," and she placed her hand on his shoulder as he grasped her firmly at the waist. It didn't take long for the memory of years of practice to return to their limbs as Sirius and Rinna danced on the flagstone path in the remote corner of the castle grounds. The soft shuffling of feet and the low peals of laughter were muted by charms as the two secret lovers danced once again under the stars at Hogwarts.

Eventually, the music changed once more to the fast rhythms preferred by most of the teens, but Rinna remained with her head resting on Sirius' chest, arms wrapped around his shoulders, and her wand in her left hand glowed softly over his shoulder to illuminate their little corner of the world. Sirius' cheek and chin were resting on the top of her head, and one hand was on the small of her back while the other lay on the exposed skin between her shoulder blades. The two of them swayed slowly to the music lingering in their heads until finally, with a sigh of regret, Rinna pushed out of his embrace.

"I'm sorry, Blackie, but I have to go patrol the grounds," she said with a moue of disappointment. "The change of music, you know."

"What about it?" he wondered.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten!" She grinned wickedly. "All those students who just got very hot and bothered dancing so close to their sweeties are going to be searching for places to make out…"

"And you are going to go and spoil their fun." He shook his head and clicked his tongue. "I think becoming a teacher has turned you evil."

Her chuckle was fiendish. "Oh yes, you have found me out! I'm drunk on the power I have to make groping teenagers jump out of their skin as I pass by whilst loudly clearing my throat."

Sirius threw his head back and laughed. "So you've perfected your McGonagall act, then!" They grinned at each other, reliving the same memories. His hand drifted to her cheek as he leaned in to kiss her lightly. "Are you sure the kids will be snogging so soon? The night is still young…" his voice was hopeful, and the kisses he kept dropping onto her lips were very, very tempting.

She sighed and patted his cheek as she ducked his last kiss. "Unfortunately, I'm sure." She tapped her temple with her index finger. "The key is to think like a horny teenager, Blackie," she informed him.

A salacious leer crossed his face as his eyes swept up and down her gowned form. "Oh believe me, I am," he assured her and he reached out to run the back of his knuckles down her neck, across her collar bone and over the swell of her breast outlined in green satin. He felt her breath catch, and he pulled her in roughly for one last passionate snog before reluctantly letting her go. "I'll see you tomorrow?" he whispered huskily.

"Mmmm..." she acknowledged as she ran her palm down the front of his shirt, mimicking what he'd done to her. "You'll be seeing much more of me tomorrow," was her dusky promise. An appreciative growl escaped Sirius' throat as he bent over her hand to kiss it once more.

Rinna stepped forward onto her tiptoes and placed a light kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Thank you for making this evening wonderful, Sirius," she whispered.

Sirius released her hand and stepped back, smiling. "Anything for you, love."

Rinna watched as the large black dog melted into the shadows and padded away, hugging her arms around herself against the cold night air that pushed through the cancelled charms. She re-worked the warming charm, and turned back to the castle and her neglected patrol. She smirked. She found she was rather in a mood to be lenient toward any furtive little _tête-à-têtes_ going on.

**----- ----- ----- -- - -**oOo- - -- ----- ----- -----

**A/N: First of all, I KNOW that in _Goblet of Fire_, the Yule Ball took place on December 25th. It suited my purposes more to borrow from the movie and have it on Christmas Eve instead. Just me, invoking author's privilege of using artistic license… it IS an "alternate universe" story, after all.**

**Secondly, (again using the AU trump card) I have corrected an injustice I have long rallied against, namely poor Ron having to wear hideous second-hand dress robes. I mean, come on! Couldn't his brothers, who as sixth years must have had SOME transfiguration skills by then, have taken pity on him? I think it was very cruel of JKR to have done that to a poor boy of fourteen. He's scarred enough as it is. So in my story, Ron got the dress robes he deserved. Too bad he was still a prat to Hermione. **

**And third, I have to give credit to Kerichi for the term "abso-bloody-lutely" which I borrowed shamelessly from her. I just love it, and wanted desperately to use it. **

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**Thanks to Kerichi, SJ, Lorett, buffyandspike-4ever, SiriusRulez, Sara, Coryna, the-scary-girl-next-door, and Sophia Loren for the marvelous reviews last chapter! Hugs and smooches to you all.**

**And now: the unrepentant begging for more reviews. Please, please, pretty-please review and let me know what you thought! Thanks.**

16


	22. Home for the Holidays

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 22: Home for the Holidays**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe, and I did not find them under my tree or in my stocking this Christmas. Any characters, places, charms, situations, ideas about other wizarding cultures, or spells; in other words, anything that you don't find in her fabulous books, well, they belong to me, with a few notable exceptions which will be referenced at the end of the chapter. **

**Special thanks to my lovely beta, Lorett, who agonized with me over many portions of this chapter until I had them JUST RIGHT! (Love you, dearest!)

* * *

**

Harry watched his godmother wrap her scarf once more around her neck as she stood in the frigid air on the Hogsmeade station platform and hastened students onto the Hogwarts Express. She had revealed the plan for Christmas Day to him yesterday morning. She took platform duty so she could Apparate home directly from Hogsmeade. Harry was to be picked up at King's Cross station by the Weasleys and go home with them. Sirius and Rinna would join them at the Burrow for dinner, and finally, Harry would go home with his godparents that night.

He was grinning like an idiot in anticipation.

Rinna clapped her gloved hands briskly. "Come on, come on! I say, I've seen flobberworms move faster than you lot! The sooner everyone gets on this train, the sooner everyone gets home for Christmas!" she called out impatiently.

"Yeh heard th' Professor!" Hagrid roared. "No more minglin' now. Get on the train!"

"Thanks, Hagrid. I suppose I'm in a bit of a hurry." Rinna grinned at the large man.

Hagrid glanced sideways at her. "Yer beau sure is a lucky bloke, Arinna," he mumbled.

She smiled even wider, and her cheeks flushed deeper. "I'll be sure to tell him you said so… that is, if we ever get off this thrice-cursed platform!"

Harry, Hermione and Ron had moved close enough to hear this exchange before Hagrid began taking long strides toward the front of the train. "What's got the G.M.'s knickers all bunched up this morning?" Ron wondered in a low voice.

"Think about it, Ron," Harry replied. "How many hours are there between now and dinner at your house?"

Ron frowned in concentration. "Dunno. Seven or eight, I guess? So what is so important that she is in such a hurry…" He saw Harry raise an eyebrow knowingly. "Oh." Ron gulped. "Oh, _that_…" He snickered.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you two. Get your minds out of the gutter! Here she comes."

"Happy Christmas, you three," Rinna said brightly.

"Happy Christmas!" they chorused back.

"Well, I guess we'd better get on that train," Ron said loudly. "Wouldn't want to keep anyone from getting to anything important, now would we?"

"Oh, Ronald!" Hermione huffed in exasperation as she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward the train. "Stop being such a prat!" she hissed as she tugged him along.

Rinna watched them go, a bemused look on her face, before turning back to Harry. "I'll see you in a few hours, then."

Harry nodded. "Thank you for the photograph," Harry said to her quietly, touching the flat box wrapped in shiny red foil with a green bow tucked safely in the inside pocket of his robes, right next to the penknife Sirius had sent him. It had been among the presents located at the foot of his bed that morning. Inside was a piece of folded parchment.

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm afraid you will have to wait for your present until this evening. Well, the main present, that is. But I didn't want to leave you empty-handed on Christmas Morning._

_Love,_

_Rinna_

Harry had looked in the box and found a small silver picture frame; the photo inside was of his parents. His dad was kissing his mum while holding a sprig of mistletoe above her head.

"I took that picture the first Christmas after they were married." She smiled. "I think I put a copy of it in my album… did you see it there?"

An impudent grin spread across his face. "Oh yeah, I seem to recall that it was hidden in there among the pictures of you and a certain someone enthusiastically snogging under the mistletoe…"

"Enthusiastically snog…" Rinna's jaw dropped in reaction to his audacity. "All right, you laggard, get your sorry bum on that train this instant. As you so impertinently reminded me, I have far better things to do than stand on this freezing platform and take your cheek!" Her smirk took the bite out of her words.

Harry suggested under his breath, "Yeah, like some _serious_ snogging?" as he walked by her and onto the train. He turned and grinned at her and gave her a little wave. She raised her eyebrow at him before looking around the platform for any more stragglers. Hagrid was getting the last of the other students on the train.

She turned to make her way to the end of the platform where she could safely Apparate. She hadn't missed Harry's play on words. _Yeah, I'm going to go home for some Sirius snogging… among other things…_ She gave a farewell wave to Hagrid, shouldered her bag, and disappeared with a _pop_ just as the train pulled out of the station.

* * *

_Sirius is waltzing with Rinna in his arms; she is dressed in green satin and drinks him in with her green satin eyes. He tightens his hand on her waist, pulling her closer, and she opens her mouth and starts to sing: "…Lullay, thou little tiny child, bye bye lully lullay…" Sirius smiles; it has been a long time since he has heard her sing. Soon, a strange sound intrudes on the dance; a rapid staccato thudding that is not in time with the waltz. He frowns and pulls her closer, but the rhythm is lost, and the dance falters. _

"And woe is me, poor child for thee…" Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud… "For thy parting neither say nor sing…" Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud… "Bye bye lully lullay…" Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud…

Sirius' eyes opened. _Rinna is home_. His brows pulled together in a frown. _And just what the hell is she doing in the kitchen?_

Sirius leaned against the kitchen doorframe and ran a hand through his tousled hair and he watched Rinna, her back to him, as she methodically chopped vegetables and began another carol. For one, brief, surreal moment, he felt like his world was spinning; this picture of domesticity reminded him of what he'd dared not think about in Azkaban. But now, although he wasn't free completely, he _was_ free to hope again. _I want this. I want the dream. I want her… as my wife…_

"It's not polite to ogle a lady, you know." The song had been replaced by her teasing voice, but the smooth movements of her hands continued.

Sirius chuckled. "True. However, I would argue that I am not ogling a lady. I happen to be ogling the heartless hussy who is standing there breaking promises she made barely twelve hours ago." He pushed away from the doorframe with his shoulder and moved toward her as she laughed. He stopped just behind her and allowed petulance to color his voice. "I fully expected to find you naked in the bed when I woke up, you know."

She tossed him a glance over her shoulder. "I know. But you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't have the heart to wake you." She smirked wickedly. "It's the only time you look like an angel, when you're sleeping."

Sirius slipped his arms around her and pulled her back against him as he kissed her cheek and whispered, "Does that mean the rest of the time you find me devilishly handsome?"

Rinna set down the knife and snaked her hand around his head, pulling his lips to hers. "You're damned right I do." She reached for the knife again. "Now, let me get this done so I can devote the rest of my day to you and fulfilling any promises I made last night…"

Sirius grinned in anticipation as he placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed. "Stars, Ruby! When did you replace your muscles with rocks?" He began to massage her.

"Ooooh…" She stopped what she was doing and let her chin drop forward. "Probably some Transfiguration assignment gone awry."

"Nice try, but I believe the subject you are teaching is D.A.D.A.." He gripped her shoulders and turned her around to face him, a concerned look on his face. "My theory is you are doing too much, and not taking care of yourself properly."

She smiled ruefully. "Guilty as charged. I guess some things never change."

He resumed kneading the muscles, from the front this time, but he looked at her sternly. "You've probably been hunched over that Potions experiment you're working on for Dumbledore." She nodded. "Likely not taking any breaks."

She nodded again, but looked into his face, eyes dancing. "Oh, but I've made some good progress," her expression was so eager, Sirius couldn't help but smile, "and I think I'll be testing it soon…"

He stopped her mouth with his hand. "I don't want to hear it. Not now." He watched her brows come together. "Right now, I want you to come to your room so we can take care of this properly." He gave her tight shoulder muscles a squeeze to make his meaning clear.

"But I want to finish this," she protested, indicating the vegetables she had chopped.

Sirius pulled his wand out of his pocket. With a flourish, the remaining vegetables were chopped and all were sealed in a bowl and floating to the refrigerator. "Later," he said firmly, taking her hand to lead her out of the kitchen.

"How did you… when did you…" she sputtered in surprise.

He grinned. "I've been taking lessons in household-y spells from Moony so I could pull my weight around here. Now come on." He tugged her through the living room.

Rinna eyed him tartly. "You like bossing me around, don't you?"

He turned around and took both her hands in his, walking backwards while leading her into her bedroom with a roguish smile. "You have no idea," he smirked. And then, as if to prove his point, he added, "Now take off your jumper and your shirt."

She pulled her hands from his and placed them on her hips playfully. "Oh ho! I see what's going on. This is some elaborate ploy to get me naked, isn't it, you scoundrel?"

He hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her against him, giving her his most rascally leer. "Really, Rinna, do you think if I wanted you naked I'd have to resort to shenanigans such as these?"

Spurred by his proximity, her heartbeat increased. She recognized the old Black arrogance from their school days. Only back then it had hidden insecurities, whereas now it stemmed from a cocky confidence in their relationship. She tilted an eyebrow at him, and her voice was sultry. "No… I think all you'd have to do is give me that smoldering look you are wearing…"

He abruptly let her go. "Which smoldering look?" He strode toward the bathroom, his words trailing behind him. "I have to go see, so I can memorize it and use it on you later…" Rinna laughed. Sirius returned with a bottle of body lotion.

He stopped in the bathroom doorway when he saw she hadn't moved. "Ruby, are you planning on being the least bit cooperative?"

She looked at the bottle in his hands and cottoned on to his intentions. "Oh yes!" She lifted her jumper over her head and crossed to the bed. "I'm planning on being extremely cooperative, Blackie!" She stripped off her shirt. "Where do you want me?"

"Well that's a loaded question if I've ever heard one, baby," he chortled at her unintentional double entendre. She stuck out her tongue. He pointed to the bed. "On your stomach, please, with your head here at the foot of the bed." He watched as she settled on the bed, her head resting on her crossed forearms, and took a moment to admire her nearly bare back.

"I hope you don't fall asleep," he commented as he climbed on the bed and sat himself carefully on the backs of her thighs, his knees on either side of her hips.

"If I do, take it as a testament to your wonderful hands," she suggested, lifting her head up and turning to grin at him. "And then, feel free to wake me up with those wonderful hands."

He unsnapped her bra, pushed it aside, and began the massage. "Your wish is ever my command, my lady…"

After a while, she stopped grunting or hissing in discomfort at each sore spot he came across and Sirius felt the muscles finally begin to relax. He lavished them with attention and noted her breathing had slowed considerably. At long last, he leaned over her and said softly in her ear, "Time to turn over, love."

"Mmmm…" she mumbled. He got off the bed as she reluctantly complied. "So good, Blackie…"

"I'm not done yet," he informed her, making a concentrated effort to not get distracted when her undone bra slipped off, exposing her bare breasts with the dusky pink nipples hardening as they met the cooler air of the room. He took an arm and began working on it, all the way to her hand before laying it on her belly and lifting the other arm. Finally, he crouched at the foot of the bed and ran his fingers along her scalp soothingly.

Rinna was teetering on the fence between wake and sleep when she heard him ask, "Are you sleeping, Ruby?"

"Mmmhmm." She felt the bed move as he clambered back on it, and then felt him stretch out next to her. She lazily opened her eyes and saw he was watching her, his head propped on his bent elbow, his smile tender and possessive. "That was lovely," she whispered. "Thank you."

Sirius traced the line of her collar bones, fingers trailing over satiny skin, and he found the small lump in the center of the right one, a barely perceptible evidence of a long-ago healed fracture. He leaned in to kiss it, and felt the vibration of Rinna's chuckle. "Feeling nostalgic, are you?" she teased. "Admiring your handiwork?"

He looked at her. "I'm just remembering the day that happened. And I had nothing to do with the collar bone as you recall… I was the one who dislocated your other shoulder."

She smiled at him, a lazy, sensuous smile that made his heart skip a beat. "What I remember about that day is you swooping from out of nowhere and catching me, and saving my life." She lifted her hand to his cheek. "My hero."

He grinned at her before his face softened a bit. "I spent a good amount of time after I escaped prison trying to pinpoint the moment when I actually fell for you." He noticed her frown at his mentioning Azkaban. "Well, I had a lot of time on my hands while I was hunting for Wormtail, and thinking of you was how I spent most of it… like picking at a scab… it was painful and yet felt good at the same time…"

"Do we have to talk about…" her words stopped as he lightly placed his fingers on her lips.

"Shush. I'm trying to be romantic here," he chastised gently.

Rinna rolled her eyes. "Right, because being compared to picking at a scab is so romant--"

"Shut it," he growled, and he kissed her deeply to ensure her compliance. "Are you going to let me speak without interrupting?" he asked gruffly. She nodded her head, brushing her lips up and down across his as she did so. He kissed her again, hungrily, greedily, skillfully before pulling away slightly and whispering, "Good," as he resumed tracing the lump on her clavicle with his hand.

He propped on his elbow again and watched his fingers move over her skin. "I never was able to settle on a moment, or an event, when I knew I had fallen in love with you. I actually think that you started getting under my skin from the moment I met you. But I do remember the day that I realized that I wanted to do whatever I could to make sure I never saw your face in pain again." He looked into her eyes then, and saw that they were glistening. He caught a tear at the corner of her eye with his thumb before it fell, and then stroked her face with his hand.

"It was that day. The day you fell in the Quidditch match." Sirius' blue eyes grew distant with memories. "I was close enough to hear that Bludger slam into you, and I heard the bone crack, and when I turned, you were already off your broom and I watched your hand miss as you grabbed for the handle…" He took a deep breath.

Rinna listened, fascinated, to his description of an event that, in retrospect, had been so seminal to their relationship. She felt more tears spring to her eyes, and was annoyed at her emotional lability.

Sirius continued, "I remember how it felt when your shoulder wrenched as I caught your wrist; I couldn't get you to the ground fast enough. Then you were lying on the pitch, blood trickling from your lip where you'd bitten it in pain, and I think that my heart actually stopped, I really do. They took you away, and I was so worried that I'd hurt you, that I'd broken your arm, and Pomfrey wouldn't tell me anything…" He made a little growl of vexation. "I was a mess, and James, he'd figured it all out, long before I did… but that was the day I had realized that my first thought of you was no longer about the next prank, or the next scathing retort…"

She blinked away moisture and caressed his cheek as a wicked little smirk teased the corner of her mouth. "But they were a close second, weren't they?"

He grinned. "Well, of course! My day was very bereft of pleasure if I didn't engage in any verbal warfare with you!" He chuckled. "It was shameless, really, the way we flirted. 'Course, I was gobsmacked when James and Remus finally convinced me that it _was_ flirting." He continued to trail his fingers on her neck as she laughed.

"But in the end," Sirius continued, more somberly, "I wasn't able to keep you safe from hurting, was I? Only foolish boys think they can single-handedly keep the ones they love from suffering and pain…"

Tears were trickling readily down her cheeks now, but she smiled and told him, "You did far more than you will ever know… You may have literally saved my life that day, but you did so figuratively many times more long after that bone had healed." Her voice was hushed, and full of love.

He took her face in his hands, and wiped her tears and kissed her gently. Her arms slipped around him, and she buried her face into his neck, holding him tightly as if she feared he'd disappear. He held her to him, whispering endearments, his hand rubbing soothing circles on her back.

Eventually she lifted her mouth to his ear and murmured, "Sirius… make love to me."

* * *

_So this is what Christmas is supposed to be like_, Harry thought as he sat in the warm glow of the living room, happily stuffed full of Christmas dinner, a slice each of pecan and pumpkin pie, and sipping on a glass of butterbeer. Rinna was standing at the liquor chest and mixing drinks by request; she'd even done something to the butterbeer, he wasn't sure what, but it made it taste a little more, well, Christmas-y. Harry sipped and smiled appreciatively. 

The adults, Molly and Arthur, Sirius (who had an empty seat next to him for Rinna), and Charlie were seated on the couch and the comfortable armchairs. The teens were sprawled on the great rug except for Ginny, who had perched on the armrest of Charlie's chair. Percy had begged off after dinner, stating he needed to go back to work (Molly had not been pleased), and Bill had remained in Egypt. Christmas music was playing softly on the Wizard Wireless, the scent of evergreen was in the air, and a fire was crackling merrily on the hearth.

From the moment Rinna and Sirius had flooed to the Burrow, Harry had carried this feeling of happiness in his heart. Rinna had looked much more relaxed than she had at the Hogsmeade platform, he noted with a smirk. Sirius looked so very different from his wanted posters that Harry quite thought no one would ever recognize him. Unless they had known him before Azkaban, that is. They had each had a hug for Harry, and Rinna had swiftly bussed his cheek. Sirius had thumped him on the back. It had been perfect.

Now, after an amazing dinner, the living room was full of chatter and laughter. Everyone looked like they hadn't a care in the world. Harry wished he had a camera, so he could capture the moment and savor it. Rinna returned to the couch, handing Molly a colorful drink that fizzed before setting herself down next to Sirius and snuggling a bit closer to him. That made Harry grin happily.

"Tell me about the Yule Ball," Molly said to the kids on the floor as she sipped her drink.

"Oh, Mum!" Ginny exclaimed enthusiastically, "you should have seen the Great Hall! It was amazing!"

Harry and Ron exchanged disgruntled looks. Neither of them wanted to talk about the Ball.

"...and Neville and I practically danced the entire night!" Ginny paused, breathless with her rushed exposition.

Molly turned to Harry. "What did you think of your first wizarding Ball, Harry dear?"

"Uh, well, ah... I didn't dance much. Just the opening dance," he mumbled.

"And I say, he did a smashing job of it, Molly," Rinna interjected warmly.

Fred and George hooted with laughter. "Yeah, more likely he did a job smashing Parvati Patil's toes," George snorted.

Harry protested indignantly, "I did not step on her toes!" He swatted at George, who scrambled out of range.

"Now if you want to hear about the person who really cut up the dance floor, Mum," Fred continued, blithely ignoring Harry, and pointedly looking at Rinna, "You should ask about which Professor danced the most last night."

A hint of pink brushed Rinna's cheeks as Sirius turned to her, an eyebrow raised. "You danced last night, Ruby?" Mischief flashed in his eyes.

"I think the real question here," Rinna announced, "is _who_ were the masterminds behind the upperclassmen-backed plot to make me dance my feet bloody?" Everyone laughed as Rinna described what had happened the night before with a grin on her face.

Having had Rinna as a teacher for the last few months did not seem a deterrent for the twins teasing her now. George smirked and said to Harry, "Isn't it nice to have your sweet godmother back, instead of that tetchy professor we left at the Hogsmeade train station?"

Harry laughed. Ron added, "A bit scary, that professor was!"

Rinna straightened up indignantly. "I was not!"

George pitched his voice higher to imitate her. "Get your slow lazy backsides on that train before I hex you all into the flobberworms you so closely resemble!" He made a few flourishes with his hand, as if casting hexes with an imaginary wand.

"I did not say that!" Rinna protested, half-laughing and half-scowling.

"Ah, but you were thinking it!" Fred waggled his finger at her. "And don't think that none of the students noticed, either."

Ginny giggled. "You should have heard why the girls thought you were in such a hurry."

"There were a number of the theories as to the cause of your snappish temper that circulated around the train, Rinna," Fred added, steepling his fingers and sounding suspiciously like Professor Binns lecturing on the Goblin Rebellions.

"The prevailing hypothesis was that you hadn't seen enough of your beau the night before," George explained, "so you were in a hurry to…" He stopped at the startled look on Rinna's face.

Harry noticed Rinna's frown, and that Sirius had tensed.

"Who saw me with my beau last night?" Rinna's voice was taut.

Fred's smirk faltered a little at her tone. "Well, everyone did!" At her quizzical expression, he explained, "All the students are assuming that you are seeing the bass player for the Weird Sisters!"

"What!"

"After the Ball ended, you went up onto the stage and took the bass player by the arm," Fred reminded her.

"And you were whispering to him," George added.

"And then the rest of the band gathered around you and hid you from sight. No one really saw you leave the Great Hall, you know," Ginny finished meaningfully.

There were a few stunned moments before Rinna burst out laughing. "I went up there to ask if the band would give me an autograph!" she managed to get out. She turned to Sirius. "I knew Dorrie would love to have a signed picture of them for Christmas." She looked back at the smirking teenagers. "And now everyone thinks…"

"Yep," said Fred happily. "You did bound up there rather eagerly…"

"I wanted to catch them before they started packing up!"

Sirius chuckled. "Should I be jealous, Rinna? After all, you've always seemed to have a thing for band members." When she started to object to his comment he added, "If I recall, you were quite infatuated with the lead singer of the Hobgoblins back in the day."

She sniffed huffily. "That's because he reminded me of _you_, you git!"

Everyone was laughing now. "This does make a nice little cover story for you, Rinna, both you and Sirius, you realize," Arthur noted with a smile.

"And it makes you the coolest teacher ever at Hogwarts," Charlie added, grinning widely. "Dating a rock star!"

Rinna made to protest, but Sirius caught her hand. "Arthur is right. No one would suspect that you would be seeing me if you had a rich and famous bass player on your arm."

Rinna didn't look entirely convinced, but let herself be persuaded to not debunk the rumor. "Well, I need to remember to look at that autographed picture to find out the name of my beloved bass player, I suppose," she added as an afterthought.

"Donaghan Tremlett," Charlie informed her. He shrugged. "I'm a fan of the Weird Sisters, too."

"Hang on," Sirius began thoughtfully, "I thought you gave the autographed picture to Tonks for Christmas!"

Rinna smirked at him. "Oh I did. I gave her _her_ copy. I kept _my_ copy for myself!" She jumped up from the couch and wrinkled her nose at him playfully. "And I'm going to hang it right next to my full-sized poster of what's-his-name from the Hobgoblins on my wall at Hogwarts!"

"Saucy minx," he accused as he reached for her.

She sprang away to the liquor cabinet. "I'm mixing the next round," she announced loudly. "Any requests?"

----- -----

Sometime later, Rinna quietly slipped out to the back porch for some fresh air and peace. Someone had put up a warming charm to stave off the chill. Molly saw her through the kitchen window, leaning against the balustrade, and went to join her.

"Harry is under the impression that you think I would not approve of him going to stay with you and Sirius for the holidays."

Rinna was taken aback. _Oh brilliant. Now why didn't I tell him to keep that information to himself?_ "I just thought--"

"Do you really think that I don't approve of you and Sirius?" Molly raised an accusatory eyebrow.

Rinna frowned. Actually, nothing in Molly's behavior tonight had indicated that at all "Er, well, we're not married."

The other eyebrow went up. "I am aware. I believe there are extenuating circumstances, are there not?"

Feeling like a stammering teenager, Rinna blushed and pointed out, "And we are sleeping together."

Molly smirked, actually smirked! "I had assumed that was the case."

"Hang on… Molly, I remember distinctly standing on this very porch after you caught me and Sirius making out in the old shed and telling me that I should not be, quote, 'engaging in any of _those_ kinds of activities' until I was properly married."

"Ah." Understanding blossomed in Molly's mind. "And you thought…" A rueful look crossed the older woman's face. She took Rinna's hand and led her to the old wicker love seat.

"Rinna, you have to understand; I was absolutely terrified." She saw the puzzled look her former ward wore. "There I was, suddenly responsible for a sixteen-year-old girl whose parents had just been murdered, charged with keeping her safe until she could return to school. You were so lost, so angry, so needy..."

Rinna was amazed. "And that terrified you? I never knew. You were always so, so… together!"

"Well I had to be, didn't I?" Molly snorted. "Nevertheless, I had a feeling that you two were, er, _involved_ sexually. Mother's instinct. I was fearful that you'd end up pregnant and ruin your chances of finishing at Hogwarts, and that it would happen on my watch, so to speak. And if that happened, I would have let Dumbledore down." She sighed. "So I'd hoped to put the fear of Merlin in you…"

After a thoughtful silence, Rinna asked, "So your views on sleeping together before marriage…"

"Underage teenagers should not be having sex," Molly interrupted emphatically. "You were too young, Rinna."

Rinna bowed her head. Softly, so Molly had to duck her head to hear, she said, "I may have been young, but I was never innocent. My father saw to that."

Molly nodded, suspicions from long ago finally confirmed. She squeezed the younger woman's hand and held it. They sat in silence, the cheerful sounds of the family gathering inside drifting faintly over them. Finally, Molly said, "You should know that I am very happy for Harry that he finally has a family to call his own and spend the holiday's with."

Rinna leaned her head sideways to rest it on Molly's motherly shoulder. "He's a messed-up kid, Molly, like I was. I hope I do as well by him as you did for me."

Her soft-spoken words, both confession of fear and oblique compliment, brought moisture to Molly's eyes. She reached her hand around Rinna's head and pulled the girl's temple to her lips. "You will do just fine, Dearie. I have faith in you."

* * *

Harry lay back on his bed, hands tucked behind his head, and surveyed the room, _his_ room, with satisfaction. After flooing home from the Weasleys' Christmas night, Rinna and Sirius had walked him to this room and flung open the door, grinning with anticipation. The walls had been completely blank, the bed had a nondescript quilt, and there was nothing on the desk in the corner; the room was barren and boring. Harry had looked at them with an odd expression when Sirius and Rinna had chorused, "Happy Christmas, Harry!" 

Then Rinna had explained that although he would share the bath that connected to the other room with Remus Lupin (and that had been a surprise to Harry), the bedroom was completely his to decorate as he pleased. She had promised to begin with the transfiguration spells and whatever else was needed first thing in the morning. It was a room of his very own, a gift from his godparents, and it was ruddy fantastic!

Ron was stretched out on the other bed, the first thing Harry had requested from Rinna, much like Harry was. He was surveying the new color on the walls, and the various Quidditch team posters that had been placed around the room. Hedwig's cage and the golden egg from the first task were on the desk along with the photograph of Harry's parents. "I think the Heidelberg Harriers look better over there, mate," he noted. "They balance the Holyhead Harpies out."

"That's good," Harry yawned. "I think Rinna was getting a little tired of me changing them all about." His godmother had been very patient and catered to his decorating whims even five days later when Ron had finally arrived to spend some time visiting before the New Year's Eve party Rinna had decided to throw the next night.

A soft knock was followed by his godmother's face poking in. "Is everything all right?"

Harry raised himself up on his elbows. "Why wouldn't it be?" he wondered.

Rinna smirked. "Well, it's been at least thirty minutes since you requested a change in the décor… I was getting concerned."

"Very funny," Harry grimaced. "You know if I was allowed to do magic outside of school that I would change it myself," he added a little defensively.

"Of course I know that, Harry!" She stepped in to the room, and looked around. "And I don't mind, really. I'm just taking the mickey… you know that." She smiled at them both. "I came to tell you that lunch is ready." She laughed when, on cue, both boys' stomachs growled audibly.

After lunch, Harry took Ron down to the one place he hadn't yet seen: the cellar. The day after Christmas, he explained to his friend, he had woken late but no one had seemed to be around. The trapdoor had been open, and he'd made his way down the steps to find Rinna involved in some kind of odd workout. Sirius, who was watching her, put a finger to his lips and signaled Harry over.

"How'd you sleep?" Sirius had whispered.

"Fine." Harry hadn't taken his eyes off his godmother. "She's doing some kind of martial arts, isn't she?" he'd asked.

"But isn't that a Muggle thing?" Ron asked him, remembering a conversation with Seamus Finnigan about Ninja fighters. "How does she know how to do that?"

"Sirius told me she learned it from her stepfather." Harry pulled out the amulet she'd given him before the first task. "I told you about him."

"Yeah. Dragon Slayer."

"Right. Well, I guess she's practiced what he taught her ever since. You know, to keep fit. And as a way to honor his memory."

Ron frowned. "But Seamus said martial arts are Muggle."

Harry sat down on the squishy floor mat in Rinna's makeshift dojo, and Ron followed suit. "That's what I thought, but I guess that's only in western culture. In the Far East, Sirius says, Muggle and Wizard culture isn't as separated as it is here. There's this thing called 'chee' or something, and it's like a force that's in everyone, but wizards can tap into it better… I don't really understand it. But, what I do understand is many strong, powerful Asian wizards are also masters of martial arts. You know, physical warriors as well as magical ones."

"Blimey," Ron breathed. Then he smirked. "I don't know if I should be impressed or scared."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, a little irritated.

"Impressed that you got all that out without garbling it up, or scared that you sounded a lot like Hermione!"

Harry swung his arm out and caught Ron in the chest, knocking him backwards. "Git."

Ron reached up and pulled Harry back by the collar; a small scuffle ensued before the boys ended up on their backs laughing. "So does Sirius do the martial arts stuff too?" Ron asked.

"Nah. He said he just likes to watch her do it."

There were a few seconds of silence before the boys both snickered. "Sure he does," Ron noted. Then he threw his arms up over his head where they landed on the mat in a double _thwap_. He snorted. "I can't see myself ever falling so hard for a girl that I'd be willing to just sit there and watch her do stuff," he stated definitively.

Harry was about to open his mouth and point out that Ron had many times been caught staring stupidly open-mouthed at Fleur Delacour when she was eating, but then realized Ron might say the same of him eyeing Cho Chang, so he wisely kept the observation to himself.

"Whatever, mate." Harry heaved himself up to sitting. "Speaking of Hermione…" Harry saw Ron's startled look. "We were speaking of Hermione, just before this," he reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. Right."

"Speaking of Hermione, Rinna has invited the Grangers to the New Year's Eve party tomorrow."

Ron sat up and nodded. "Good. That's good," he declared before adding under his breath, "At least she won't be coming in with Krum on her arm."

Harry snorted, but wisely said nothing.

* * *

Preparation for the party wasn't nearly as tedious as Harry and Ron feared it might be. In fact, the boys were rather enjoying themselves watching Sirius and Rinna work the spells that would enlarge the living room of Rinna's cozy house; the two of them worked well together despite, or perhaps as a result of, the teasing banter they engaged in. Harry was particularly gratified that the adults would consult the two boys every so often and really took the boys' suggestions into consideration. 

And they were learning quite a lot about transfiguration and enlarging spells as Sirius and Rinna discussed and argued over how big the room needed to be, the limitations of each spell, and the supporting spells needed. It impressed upon Harry how complex magic could be, and that enlarging a room was no simple matter of just reciting the right charm.

It was Ron who offered, "What about opening up the French doors and having part of the party on the patio? Someone put up a warming charm on the back porch of the Burrow Christmas night, and it was really comfortable out there, you know?"

Sirius looked impressed. "Excellent idea, Ron."

Rinna smiled. "That's where people can dance. It won't be too warm out there…" She tapped her finger to her lips musingly. "But I will need to spruce up the garden a bit if there will be guests out back…everything is rather dead right now."

At that point, Remus Lupin returned from the errands he'd agreed to do. "It looks fantastic," he admired as he glanced at the Transfigured room. His eyes flicked to Rinna, who'd gone out the French doors. "It won't do if she comes back in, Padfoot," he said in a low voice.

"Right," Sirius' tone was equally conspiratorial. He glanced at the boys. "Why don't you lads get the glasses from the kitchen so we can see how many we need to conjure… we'll be right back to help you." He and Lupin moved nonchalantly to Remus' room.

Ron looked at Harry. "I don't know what that was all about, but they were acting a lot like the twins do when they are up to something."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Come with me," he said, and led Ron to his room. They slipped into the pass-through bathroom, and sure enough, the door to Remus' room was ajar. The two men were leaning over the desk, looking at something.

"I can't believe you kept it all this time, Moony," Sirius said. "I told you to get rid of it."

Remus straightened up and crossed his arms. "No, you handed it to me and told me to get it out of your sight; that you never wanted to see it again." Sirius grunted at the correction. "I kept it because I thought that if I ever was desperate for money, I could at least sell it..."

Sirius looked at him curiously. "Why didn't you? Sell it, I mean."

"I was conflicted." Remus sat on the bed and sighed. "Rinna blamed herself for your 'defection' and regretted breaking it off with you. All that time she was at St. Mungo's, even when she wasn't responding to anyone, she would rub her fingers over her left hand, over the spot where the ring used to be… When she recovered, I thought about giving it back to her, but I wasn't sure how she would take it. We both thought you—well, you know what we both thought…

"So I kept it. And put it away. And put it out of my mind." Remus shrugged. "Until you mentioned it the other day, I'd quite forgotten I still had it."

Sirius lifted a ring to his eye, peering at it intently. Harry saw a glint of red, and thought he knew what ring it was. He elbowed Ron.

"Do you think I should use it, mate?" Sirius asked Remus.

"Why not? It _is_ the ring you intended for her to wear the rest of her life, isn't it?" his friend reasoned.

"Well… women can be funny about these kinds of things…"

Harry chose that moment to pull the door open and step into the room, Ron at his side. "I say, Ron, these two seem to be up to no good." Harry grinned at the expression on the two men's faces.

"I'd solemnly swear it," Ron agreed with a reasonably straight face.

Lupin recovered first. "Padfoot, old mate, we seem to be losing our touch," he said ruefully.

Sirius snorted. "Ah, Moony, you may be right," and a gleam lit his eyes, "but we also seem to have gained two co-conspirators!"

----- -----

The first guest to arrive was nearly an hour early. Ron and Harry were sitting in the enlarged living room playing Exploding Snap when a woman came stumbling out of the fireplace. She was carrying a box, and tripped on the hearth, wobbled on her high heels, and had nearly righted herself when the box started to slip from her grasp. She grabbed for it, and fell to the floor on her knees. "Bloody buggering hell!"

"Dorrie!" Rinna's voice rang happily from the kitchen. "Are you all right, luv?" she asked as she entered the living room. She went over to help her friend up.

"Well, I managed to save the liquor!" Tonks quipped.

Rinna laughed. "Thank Merlin you have your priorities straight." She took out her wand and healed Tonks' knees, then gave her friend a continental kiss. She saw the two boys gawping, rather speechless, at the woman with the midnight-blue sequined dress and the matching blue streak in her dark hair that was swept up into a complicated knot and secured with blue lacquered chopsticks. "Dorrie, this is my godson, Harry, and his best mate, Ron." Tonks crossed to shake the boys' hands. "Harry, Ron," Rinna continued, "this is _my_ best mate, Nymphadora Tonks."

Tonks winked. "It's just 'Tonks' please. Nice to meet you both." The boys stammered out appropriate greetings.

Rinna pulled bottles out of the box. "Would you lads take these over to the bar for me?"

"Sure." Harry and Ron abandoned their game to help.

"And then, you should probably start to get ready." Rinna appraised them and smirked. "Dress robes are optional." At their groans of relief, she added, "Nice trousers, shirt, jumper… that should do. I want you to be comfortable." She turned back to her friend. "I, on the other hand, will have to find something comparable to this." She indicated Tonks' outfit. "You are looking unusually conservative and sophisticated tonight, Dorrie."

Tonks sniffed. "I'll have you know that I _can_ clean up nicely if I choose to! Besides, I wanted to make a good impression on your family."

Rinna grabbed Tonks' arm and pulled her into the kitchen. "I just need to finish these canapés. Then I need to get ready."

----- -----

By necessity, only those who knew Sirius' secret could be guests to the party, and nearly everyone was there (Percy had once again begged off) when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" called Harry, who was closest to the door. It was the Grangers.

"Hello, Harry," Hermione greeted when he didn't say anything.

Harry was a bit preoccupied to remember social niceties. Hermione looked… great, _really_ great. Something stirred in his chest, and he suddenly recalled what it had felt like when he'd kissed her last summer… She cleared her throat.

"Huh? Oh, sorry!" Harry stepped aside to let them in. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Hello, Hermione. Please come in."

Rinna herself had spoken to the Grangers by telephone earlier that week, and had explained everything to them. (Harry had been impressed by Rinna's understanding of telephones. But then, he remembered she was familiar with the Muggle world.) Harry was glad, because that meant he'd see Hermione during the holiday. And now, he was doubly glad, and started scheming ways to make sure it was Hermione he was standing next to at midnight so he had an excuse to kiss her.

Rinna appeared and greeted the newcomers. "I'm so glad to finally meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Granger!" Harry admired the picture his godmother made, dressed in wine-colored velvet and every inch the gracious hostess, as she took each of Hermione's parents on an arm and escorted them into the room. "You must meet Sirius, and I don't believe you've met all the Weasleys, have you?"

Hermione looked around. "Wow, it sure is a big house."

Harry laughed, and hooked her arm like Rinna had done. "Rinna and Sirius enlarged it. You would have liked watching them transfigure it. It was very educational," he teased. She wrinkled her nose at him. "C'mon. Let's get something to eat." Harry pulled her into the room.

----- -----

"Well, this is rather entertaining, wouldn't you say?" George asked sometime later. He, Fred and Ginny had joined the trio at the food table and the teens stuffed themselves silly on finger foods while they watched the adults get a bit squiffy. Someone had put on music and to the kids' surprise, Molly and Arthur were the first to start dancing on the patio.

"Actually, they are quite good," Ginny commented. "I didn't know Mum and Dad could dance like that."

Remus Lupin had come to refill his plate and overheard. "It was quite the rage in your parents' day to learn ballroom dancing. Even when I was in school," he informed them. He jutted his chin toward the dance floor. "Look." Sirius and Rinna had joined in. They moved easily together.

"Wow," Harry breathed. "They're good, too."

Remus smiled. "Those two stole the show at your parents' wedding." And sure enough, their moves became more intricate and complex as the dance went on. Hermione's parents followed not long after, and soon, Tonks came and absconded with Remus.

Two waltzes, a foxtrot and a meringue later, the couples laughingly called a halt. It was clear to their audience that dancing hadn't alleviated the slight inebriation each one seemed to be experiencing. Mrs. Granger demurely sat down in the nearest chair. Molly was giggling and blushing as Arthur leaned to whisper something in her ear. Remus was nursing a toe that Tonks managed to not step on until after the dancing had stopped; they both were laughing, though. And Sirius was stealing a kiss from his partner, who swayed a little when he released her.

"I'm thirsty, Blackie," Rinna insisted. "We should break out the champagne now. Why wait for midnight?"

Sirius brushed his lips across the knuckles of her right hand. "As you wish, m'lady!"

The champagne bottles were passed around several times. Harry kept glancing at his watch, wondering if he was going to need to keep Sirius on task. Hermione noticed. "It's not quite ten o'clock yet, Harry. We're not going to miss the New Year," she teased.

Harry leaned in to whisper to her, "Maybe the excitement is going to start _before_ midnight."

Curiosity piqued, she whispered back, "Why? What's going on?"

"You'll see very soon," Harry promised.

Sure enough, a few minutes later Sirius stood up, stepped to the middle of the patio, and tapped his champagne glass with his spoon lightly to draw notice. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began with a winning smile, "if I may have your attention?"

Rinna thought he looked very smart in his silk shirt and finely-cut trousers, and he stood like a man with full confidence in himself. She could almost believe that Azkaban had never happened to him. She certainly realized once again why she had fallen so hard for him all those years ago… not to mention _now_.

Tonks noticed that Rinna was watching her cousin with a rather wolfish look on her face. She leaned over to her friend and noted, "He does look very scrummy tonight, Dunnie, but you should wipe that drool off your chin before anyone notices."

"Very funny," Rinna hissed, but her smile indicated she'd been called out correctly.

All eyes in the room were now on Sirius. "Thank you all for being here tonight. Rinna and I are both pleased you could come. I can't think of a better way to ring in the New Year than spending the evening in this fine company."

Rinna leaned back and murmured to Remus, "Just how much has he had to drink, Remy? Because I think he is slipping into Slughorn-mode."

"Shut it and pay attention, Rinna," Remus admonished quietly. "This is important."

Tonks snickered, and Rinna shot her a quizzical look. Remus and Tonks both gestured to Sirius pointedly, so Rinna returned her attention to her lover.

"However, there is some unfinished business that I feel I really must attend to before this year is over." Sirius walked over to where Rinna was standing and took her hand, pulling her forward a step or two. Tonks took the champagne flute from Rinna's other hand discretely.

"What's going on, Blackie?" Rinna asked with a bemused smile. He placed her hand on his heart and smiled in a way that made her knees almost buckle. A faint warning pinged in her mind that he was up to something, but damned if she hadn't gone and gotten herself tipsy and found herself two or three steps behind him. How very out of character for her; well, not the tipsy part…but it _was_ in her nature to try to maintain the upper hand. Then again, he'd always had a way of working his Sirius Black Magic on her… _Shut it and pay attention_, her heart echoed Remus' words. _This is important…_

There was an intensity in his eyes, like the sea after a storm, that apprehended her attention. "Rinna," he said, deep and low, and she couldn't have looked away from him if she'd tried… "Rinna, will you marry me?"

Rinna's own sharp intake of breath followed by only milliseconds the collective gasp of the other attendees. She looked at him, convinced the champagne had somehow altered what he'd actually said. "What?"

"Marry me, Rinna," he insisted softly.

His words had the effect of bringing sudden and much needed clarity to her head. "When?"

Sirius was taken aback. "What?"

"When will we get married, Sirius?"

He faltered. "Uh, I dunno. When my name is cleared and--"

"No."

Another communal gasp filled the air, this time colored with shock. But just like that day last summer on the Weasleys' back lawn, Rinna and Sirius didn't even seem to notice.

Sirius was stunned. "But…"

"I'm not doing that again," she said quietly.

"Doing what? Rinna, I don't understand."

She smiled sadly. "There was never a date. It was always after I was done with school, after you were done with training, after I finished some assignment, after Lily and James's wedding, after the Dark Lord was defeated…" Her voice quavered, and she stopped to take a breath. "We waited for the perfect time, Sirius." She reached up to his face with a gentle caress. "And yet, here we are still. So don't tell me some vague time in the future that may never happen. If we're to be married, tell me when."

He took the hand she held to his cheek and tenderly dropped a kiss in her palm. "All right," he said. "The Saturday after Harry's birthday." He watched her mouth drop in surprise. "That should give us enough time to figure out how to pull this off, don't you think?"

Rinna huffed out a little laugh of astonishment. "Ah… all right." She smiled up at him.

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at her. "Is that a 'yes'?"

"Oh sweet Merlin, _yes_!" She threw her arms around his neck and laughed merrily as he twirled her around with a shout of triumph. The fact that they had an audience was suddenly apparent by the thunder of applause and cheers.

A shrill whistle pierced the air. The happy couple's heads whipped around to eye Remus, who held up a small box and shook it for emphasis. "Padfoot, old friend, I think you need this."

Sirius neatly caught the box Remus tossed his way. A wave of nervousness inexplicably washed over him as he turned back to Rinna and opened the box. _What if she doesn't want it back? _For the moment, attention was off the couple as everyone else present chattered excitedly. Sirius was relieved. Maybe doing this in front of everyone hadn't been the best idea after all.

Rinna gasped as he opened the box. Her hand snaked in to snatch the ring from the velvet and she peered at it, flummoxed. "Is this… You kept it? How…"

Sirius pried it from her fingers, and then slipped it on her left hand. "You don't mind? I could get you a different one…" He watched as a number of emotions played across her face.

She hesitated. _Do we need a new start? Are we picking up where we left off? Does this ring bring back more bad memories than good?_ She wasn't sure…

"Rinna?" His voice was nervous, irresolute.

"No. No, don't get a new one." She gave him a soft, wistful smile. "I loved this ring."

Sirius slid both his hands along her jaw to pull her into a loving kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned it unreservedly. Their guests became aware that the happy couple was sealing their engagement with a snog and the cheering began again, although this time it was accompanied by a few catcalls.

----- -----

At the next break in the dancing, Tonks grabbed Rinna and pulled her into the house. She lifted Rinna's hand and demanded, "I want to see it!" She admired the oval ruby highlighted with diamonds. "It's bloody gorgeous, Dunnie!"

"It is," Rinna agreed.

Something in her friend's voice made Tonks glance at her sharply. She grabbed Rinna again, "Come on," and pulled her to her bedroom. "What's wrong?" Tonks asked softly.

Rinna hesitated. "I'm probably just being silly…"

Tonks pressed, "What?"

"Do you think it's… bad luck, to wear the ring? Like tempting fate?"

Tonks looked at her incredulously. "I never took you to be superstitious, Rinna!"

"Well, I'm not usually." A rueful look crossed her face. "It's just that… I can't shake this feeling…" She shuddered, as if she was chilled. "All that time I wore it, we never married. It was like the relationship was doomed back then--"

"You're right," Tonks interrupted. "You _are_ being silly. For Merlin's sake, you have a date set, you have a ring on your finger, and all evidence points to you getting married in seven months! Now tell me, where is the gloom and doom in that?"

But Rinna could not throw off the melancholy that had seized her. "But you know my history! All my family; dead. My best friend who was closer than a sister; dead. Sirius, taken to Azkaban." She sat on the edge of the bed, her face in her hands. "My blood has an ancient taint of Darkness, Dorrie! What if I'm not meant to have any happy relationships?"

Tonks put her hands on her hips in order to refrain from slapping her friend. "Well, if that were true," she said with asperity, "then Remus and I should be dead, shouldn't we?"

Rinna's head snapped up and she looked at her friend in astonishment. "Oh," she breathed.

"See? You're just being silly." Tonks smirked cheekily. "Besides, Sirius' blood is as Dark as they come; so the way I see it, you two are well suited to each other!"

Rinna looked at her in shock for several long seconds before blinking and huffing out a laugh.

Tonks hooked her arm in Rinna's and pulled her up from the bed. "Put it out of your mind, luv. You're just having bridal jitters." The two women walked back to the living room before Tonks leaned in and added wickedly, "You know, it's a tad early to be getting cold feet."

"I am not getting cold feet," was Rinna's indignant reply. She carefully pushed her strange mood and misgivings to the back of her mind. "I think the champagne level in my system has dropped too low. As my maid of honor, Dorrie dear, it is your job to take care of the bride!"

Tonks hugged her tight. "I'd be honored. To be your maid of honor, and to get you more bubbly!"

----- -----

Harry found Hermione in the shadows just outside the ring of candlelight that lit the magically warmed patio; she was watching the dancers, and Harry thought the look on her face seemed a little wistful. He leaned against the wall next to her and smiled as he glanced around. Charlie had taken his sister to the dance floor, and the two of them were laughing and having a good time. Harry could hear Fred, Ron and George just inside; they were playing a rather heated and involved card game called "Held" and the good-natured insults were occasionally audible above the music playing outside.

"How has your holiday been?" Hermione asked him.

"Smashing." He grinned. "You?"

"Fine. But I have to admit, this has been the most eventful part of it." She snorted. "My parents are certainly having a good time." Her smile indicated she was glad about that. She returned to watching the dancing.

Harry took a deep breath. He couldn't believe he was going to ask this, but she looked like she wanted to… "Do you want to dance, Hermione?" he said in a breathless rush.

She looked startled as she turned her gaze on him, but then her expression lightened. "Harry, that is really sweet, but I'm not going to force you to relive any horrifying Yule Ball memories," she teased.

Harry couldn't decide if he was disappointed or relieved. They stood in companionable silence in the shadows for a while. Harry discovered that his hand had somehow found its way to Hermione's, and his fingers were curling around hers.

"Listen, Hermione, about the Yule Ball…"

"Oh, Harry, don't feel like you have to apologize for Ronald's behavior…"

"No. That's not what I wanted to say." Harry squeezed Hermione's hand. "I- I wanted to say…" He ran his other hand through his unruly hair, unknowingly mimicking his father. "That is, uh… Look, I'm sorry _I _didn't ask you to the Yule Ball." His rueful expression conveyed his regret.

Hermione was surprised. "You are?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you, um, you looked amazing that night… and I probably would have had a much better time with you than I did, and… you wouldn't have had to go with someone you don't know." He looked at her hopefully. "That _is_ what the whole Viktor Krum thing was about, right? Getting back at me and Ron for being total idiots for overlooking you?"

Something sparked in Hermione's eyes. "The whole 'Viktor Krum thing' was about a nice guy asking me to a dance! A nice guy wanting to enjoy my company! And treating me like I was important to him."

"You _are_ important to me, Mione! You know that!" Harry protested. "You stuck by me when Ron… you helped me with the Summoning Charm… I wouldn't have made it through the first task if it wasn't for…" His words tumbled over one another in his desperation to reassure her, and to try to rectify his stupid error.

Hermione's eyes softened. "Harry, I'm your friend, no matter what." She put her hand on his shoulder.

Harry felt hope spread through him. "So, you forgive me? I mean, you forgive us, Ron and me?" He opened his eyes wide in sincerity. "We didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"Oh, stop with the puppy dog eyes! Yes, I forgive you. As if I could stay angry with you when you look at me like that, prat!"

Harry grinned. "Good! Then I guess that means you won't need to hang around Krum anymore," Harry noted happily.

Hermione frowned. "Hang on. I never said I wouldn't hang around Viktor. I already told you I wasn't using him to make you jealous."

The hopeful elation Harry was feeling suddenly came crashing down at his feet. "But you… you don't really like Krum, do you?" he asked, dreading the answer.

Hermione took a long time to answer. "Do you mean do I like him, or do I fancyhim?"

"Uh…"

"Because I do like him. And I think that I am starting to fancy him." She sounded a bit surprised, as if she had just now worked it all out for herself.

Harry shook his head in denial. "No. No, Hermione. You can't, you can't fancy him!"

"Why not?" Her voice was shrill with indignation.

"Because!" Harry replied hotly. "Because…" he faltered. "Ah, hell!" Harry grabbed her by the back of the head and pulled her mouth against his.

For a split-second, Hermione was so startled she didn't move. Then, in the next second, she pushed against his chest. Harry brought one hand up to cup her face, and the other arm he wrapped around her waist to pull her closer. Hermione forgot why she was struggling, and opened her mouth to sigh into his. Greatly encouraged, he changed his angle and pressed his lips back to hers. Hermione's hands slid from his chest to his shoulders as she kissed him back. But when her hands moved to his hips, Harry groaned.

Hermione's head jerked back, and she stared at him with huge, shocked eyes. "Harry! What the hell?"

"Hermione!"

She placed her hands on his chest and shoved him back. "Don't _do_ that!"

"But…" He couldn't tell if she was angry, or going to cry.

"Just don't!" Her eyes searched his face. "It'll only mess everything up, Harry." She saw him open his mouth to protest. "Just _don't_. Okay?" Her face scrunched up, she turned and fled.

Harry leaned back against the wall and knocked his head back in frustration. He let out a big sigh.

"Are you all right?" The voice was low with concern.

Harry opened his eyes to see his godfather, looking sympathetic. "No."

Sirius nodded and leaned up against the wall next to Harry. "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. I just happened by and heard… I'm sorry."

Harry laughed bitterly. "What do you have to be sorry for? You just got the woman of your dreams to agree to marry you!"

Sirius jerked his head in the direction Hermione had gone. "I thought she was just a best friend."

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Tell me, Harry," Sirius interrupted, "when you close your eyes… is it _her_ face you see in your mind?"

Harry closed his eyes. "No." He shook his head.

Sirius shrugged. "Then she's not the woman of your dreams," he explained simply.

Harry let out a big breath. "I guess…" He stared glumly at his shoes. "But she's the only girl I've ever kissed."

Sirius clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder reassuringly. "That, my friend, will not be the state of things forever. Now come on back to the party. The New Year is almost here."

----- -----

The party had broken up by around one in the morning. He tried to do his part, but Harry had yawned so much during cleanup that Rinna had laughingly banished him to bed. However, tired as he was, he couldn't seem to fall asleep. The gaffe with Hermione kept playing over and over in his head. Harry tossed around in his bed and realized he was thirsty. A cool glass of milk sounded very appealing, so he got up to quietly pad to the kitchen. The clock in his room told him it was almost two o'clock. He did not expect anyone to be up at this hour.

But as he came into sight of the living room, he realized that Rinna was standing at the fireplace, which provided the only light in the room, idly levitating to the kitchen used, half-empty glasses that had been set on the mantel. Harry froze, not wanting to startle her. The glasses disappeared and she stood in front of the flames, lost in thought with the fingers of her right hand tracing around the ring on her left.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw the light in the kitchen go out, and he turned to see Sirius enter the living room and cross to the fireplace. Sirius came up behind Rinna and slipped his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest. He bent forward and kissed her on the side of her neck. Her head lolled sideways as she gave a sigh of contentment. He continued to kiss and nuzzle her for a minute before he lifted his mouth to her ear and said in a deep voice, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Rinna gave a throaty chuckle and replied, "I can't say that surprises me, Marauder-boy," in a very sexy voice. She turned in his arms and their lips met in a kiss, a kiss that quickly turned very passionate. Harry knew he should turn away, knew that this was a private moment, but his body would not obey, and his eyes remained riveted on the scene that was rapidly becoming very educational.

Sirius ran his hands up the bodice of her velvet dress, stopping at the curves of her breasts as he started a trail of kisses along her jaw and down her neck to where the velvet revealed her décolleté. Rinna gasped, and her hands flew to his collar where she began to unbutton his shirt. Her hands sensuously caressed their way from his abdomen up his chest and across his nipples, eliciting a groan from him. His hand grasped her bum and he pulled her pelvis against his as he crashed his mouth to hers again. Their hips gyrated slowly in a primal dance as Sirius' hand slid under her bum to the back of her thigh, lifting her leg up while he pulled her even closer to him with his other arm.

Harry felt his mouth go dry as he desperately tried to form a coherent thought. What would he do if they started to…? _Get back in your room, you perv,_ part of his brain told him. Unfortunately, that part was quickly overrun by teenaged hormones, and Harry's feet remained resolutely where they were. At least the couch wasn't facing him; he wouldn't be able to see them if they started to… He couldn't tell if he was relieved or disappointed at that thought. He was snapped out of his disturbing contemplation by the wet sound of lips being pulled apart.

Rinna and Sirius were standing, wrapped around each other, foreheads touching, desperately trying to catch their breath. Sirius cupped her face in his hand and looked into her eyes, a salacious grin spreading across his face. "Do you realize, Ruby-Red, that I haven't made love to you since last year?"

A sultry smile lit up her face. "Mmmm. You're right. This is a completely unacceptable situation, Blackie!" Her green eyes sparked with mischief and something far more basic.

"Well I'm going to remedy the situation right," he swung her up into his arms, "NOW!" He turned to walk toward the hall as she muffled a surprised squeal into his shoulder.

Harry's feet were moving before his brain even registered that they were coming toward him. He slipped back into his room, and leaned against his door, heart pounding in reaction to almost getting caught spying. At least, that's the only reason he could think of that his heart was thudding so hard. He heard them pass and then heard the door to her bedroom shut, and let out his breath in a long, shaky sigh. He moved to the bathroom and drank two glasses of cool water before looking at his dusky reflection in the mirror. He couldn't see it in the dim light, but he knew his face was flushed and he was breathing hard.

Five months ago, it seemed impossible that his godparents would ever get together again; now they were going to get married, and, as he'd just observed, they were once again lovers. He stretched himself out on his bed, his body still buzzing in reaction to the scene he'd just witnessed. He felt a little guilty, a little bit pervy, but mostly, he felt strange. A good kind of strange. He tried not to think about what was going on in the bedroom not far from him, but it was a long while before he fell asleep.

-------- --------

Sirius propped up on his elbow to feast on the sight of his gorgeous Ruby in the candlelight, covered in a thin sheen of sweat, breathing rapidly, eyes closed. He brushed some of her hair off her damp forehead, and she opened her eyes. Her beautiful lips stretched into a satisfied smile as she reached up to caress his cheek. He ducked his head and kissed her deeply before pulling away to whisper, "Mischief managed."

"I'll say." Her voice was a mixture of lust and admiration. He chuckled and pulled her to him, spooning against her back and wrapping his arm around her waist possessively. "Happy New Year, Sirius," she murmured.

He pressed his lips to the back of her neck, and inhaled her scent. "It is certainly starting off that way." He felt her sigh contentedly against him, and he closed his eyes and let his satiated body drift to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: The phrases "as you wish" and eyes "like the sea after a storm" are from my favorite movie, "The Princess Bride." Rinna sings "The Coventry Carol" which is an old English carol. The name of the bass player for the Weird Sisters is courtesy of the Harry Potter Lexicon. The inspiration for Tonks' attire came from fan art by Shalou entitled "Blue Kiss" and "Tonks in Blue" that can be found on her website GreenSuitsYou. (I added the chopsticks!) "Held" is a crazy card game I play with my cronies every New Years Eve; I don't know if that is the true name, but that is what they told me it was called. Last year I broke my watch while we played, this year I only got a scratch on my hand. **

**I apologize for the length of time between chapters! Real Life, holiday madness, a fic exchange, another WIP, a kid turning nine, an ex-husband being an ass requiring me to hire a lawyer, and a two and a half week bout with a nasty viral/bacterial illness during the Holidays are just a few of my excuses for my reprehensible, lack-of-posting behavior!**

**Thank you to all my readers of this fic, especially the ones who sent me little reminders/annoyed messages to get me to update. (You know who you are!) I love you!**

**This is the LONGEST chapter in the story so far. Please let me know what you think of it! Reviews are love…**

28


	23. Matters of the Heart

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 23: Matters of the Heart**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe. Any characters, places, situations, ideas, charms and spells, or any lesson plans; in other words, anything that you don't find in her fabulous books, well, they belong to me.**

**I would be remiss if I did not give special props to my beta, Lorett. Many times we worked out plot kinks over the phone, while she was in the drive-thru of the local El Pollo Loco! Mmmm…

* * *

**

Music filled the air as Harry filed into his new Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom with Hermione and Ron and the rest of his fellow fourth year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs; it was an upbeat song currently very popular with the teenaged wizarding population. Already some of the students had begun to move in time with the music, bobbing their heads or moving their torsos to the beat, and a few had actually broken into some dance moves by the time Harry and his friends had reached their seats.

_Where is Rinna?_ Harry wondered. He slipped into place, standing between the desk and chair, and was about to whisper his question to his companions when Ron grabbed his and Hermione's arms.

"Don't sit down," Ron hissed softly. "Something's not right."

Almost in unison, the three of them pulled out their wands. Harry looked warily around the classroom and saw that some of the students had already taken their seats. Looks of alarm began to sprout on their faces; they could no longer move. Harry tried to step away from the desk and found he could not, but he still had use of his arms. Hermione and Ron, who had not yet set foot behind their desks, were still mobile; they had both assumed defensive postures.

Harry racked his brains for a spell that would free his legs from whatever had him bound. Cries of alarm or frustration now sounded throughout the room, but before panic could set in, a voice authoritatively cut across the music and babble. "Enough!"

Professor Dunlevy appeared at the front and surveyed the now silent room. "Do not tell me that you spent all of last term in Mad-Eye Moody's class and _this_ is all you have to show for it?" Her voice wasn't unkind, but it was clear she was disappointed. "What happened to 'constant vigilance,' hmm?" She crossed her arms and drummed the fingers of one hand on her sleeve.

No one answered because, really, there was nothing to say; they had been caught unawares. "Ah, well, I suppose we have the rest of the year to work on this, don't we?" Rinna uncrossed her arms and made her way through the class. "Those of you already sitting should be able to move now." There were soft exclamations of relief from most of the class. Rinna stopped by Neville who had only one foot behind his desk and was standing with his wand drawn. "Please tell me, Mr. Longbottom, how you managed to not be completely ensnared in my little trap?"

Neville gulped. "W-well, I felt the spell take h-hold of my foot." He grew bolder when he saw his professor nodding, obviously pleased. "So I stopped, and drew my wand. Only… I couldn't think of any spell to counter it, Professor," he ended dejectedly.

"That was not the point, Neville," she noted kindly. "Two points to you for avoiding becoming completely incapacitated, and three more for drawing your wand." Her eyes swept the room. "The same for everyone else who is standing behind his or her desk." Her lips moved slightly as she tallied points for each House.

"Now, for those of you still standing free, congratulations on not being hoodwinked." She smiled. "However, Mr. Macmillan and Mr. Thomas, the only reason you circumvented my ruse was because you were tardy, so no points for you. Take your seats." The boys stammered out an apology. Professor Dunlevy turned to Hannah Abbott. "Miss Abbott, why didn't you sit down?"

Hannah pointed to Ron and Hermione. "Because I saw Ron grab Harry and Hermione by the arms. He looked concerned, so I guessed that something was wrong."

"Very good! Five points to you, Miss Abbott." Rinna walked over to Hermione and Ron. "Miss Granger?"

"Ron told me something wasn't right and not to sit, Professor." At Rinna's raised eyebrow she added, a bit defensively, "Well, it would have been foolish of me to ignore him without seeing for myself if he was right!"

The Professor smiled again. "Precisely. Five points, and three more for drawing your wand." She turned to Ron. "And why did you say that, Mr. Weasley?"

Ron shrugged. "Dunno," he said. "It just felt wrong."

Interest sparked in her eyes. "Could you elaborate on that, please?"

He licked his upper lip. "Well, I got this weird feeling, like something was trickling up my spine. It got stronger the closer we got to the desks."

Harry thought the look that crossed his godmother's face was a combination of excitement, smugness and satisfaction. "Excellent," she declared. "You would do well, Ron, to never ignore that feeling."

One side of Ron's mouth turned up ruefully. "How do you think I've managed to survive living with the Twins all this time?"

Rinna joined the class in laughter. "You have a good point. In fact, why don't you take ten points for being the only one to detect my little spell _before_ it took hold of you. Oh, and three for the wand."

Ron sat down, flushing with pleasure. Rinna advanced on the one standing student remaining. Seamus Finnigan quickly stated, "I felt something weird, too, Professor Dunlevy."

"Really?" She cocked her head. "Perhaps that was you throwing out your back with all the dancing you were doing." Her eyes snapped with mirth.

The class erupted in laughter and catcalls. Seamus grinned and took a bow. He winked impudently at his teacher. "Well, you have to admit, those killer dance moves did save me bum, didn't they?"

She nodded. "And yet, in spite of that, Mr. Finnigan, neither 'killer dance moves' nor cheekiness are considered legitimate defenses against the Dark Arts." She allowed her grin to finally take over her face. "You may take your seat." She returned to the front of the class. "I suppose you have all figured out by now what we will be studying first."

Harry smiled to himself as he watched Rinna in her professor persona explain her expectations of the students in this course. He had a feeling D.A.D.A. was going to be his favorite class this term.

----- -----

Herbology had been all right—that is, as long as one didn't count the time spent slogging through the snow to get to the greenhouses—but Care of Magical Creatures had not started auspiciously as Hagrid was nowhere to be found and a substitute professor took the class instead. Professor Grubbly-Plank had completely refused to give Harry and his friends any information about Hagrid and his unexplained absence. Things went worse when Malfoy took great pleasure in showing Harry and the other Gryffindors Rita Skeeter's latest article; the multi-page story from the _Daily Prophet_ was an expose on Hagrid's giant heritage, but it also took pot-shots at Dumbledore, Moody and finally, Harry himself.

Harry had been furious at the Slytherins, who had provided several (less than accurate) quotes that Skeeter had used to great effect, and his mood was not helped at all by the Gryffindor girls (including Hermione) who'd commented on the excellence of the class on unicorns they had just experienced. But if his rotten mood had been a cake, the icing that would have topped it was seeing Cedric Diggory walking into the Great Hall for dinner holding the hand of Cho Chang and escorting her to her seat at the Ravenclaw table.

Hermione eyed Harry warily as he viciously cut into his dinner. None of the trio said much as they ate, but once they got up from the table to go back out to Hagrid's cabin, Hermione murmured to her two companions, "Er, I was going to, um, meet someone at the library after dinner--"

"I thought you said you wanted Hagrid to come back, but now you aren't going with us to talk to him?" Harry cut in angrily.

"I already told you I want Hagrid back!" Hermione insisted. "What I was about to say is: I _was_ going to meet someone, but now I will have to find him and tell him it's off. I'll catch up with you in a sec, all right?" Without waiting for a response, Hermione turned and walked away.

"Did she say 'him'?" Ron asked Harry.

"I'm afraid so," Harry replied grimly as he watched Hermione catch the eye of Viktor Krum, who soon followed her out to the entrance hall.

Ron saw the same thing, and swore. "C'mon. Let's go outside and wait for her there. I don't want to see this."

Harry scrutinized his friend from the corner of his eye. "Yeah." They left the castle and started to make their way down the frozen path to Hagrid's. "Except for D.A.D.A., this was a horrible first day, don't you think?" Ron grunted an affirmative. "Makes me wish I was back home with Rinna and Sirius."

Ron gratefully seized the change of subject. "Yeah, you had a good holiday."

"Did I tell you about what happened after the New Year's Eve party?" Harry took advantage of the fact that Hermione had not yet caught them and told Ron what he'd seen in Rinna's living room early on New Year's Day.

"You saw them doing what?" Ron squeaked, his voice high in consternation. He and Harry had stopped near the rocks by the path that led down to Hagrid's hut and pulled their cloaks tightly around them. Harry had illuminated his wand so Hermione could find them.

"I saw them making out. They were in the living room, and I had stepped out to get something from the kitchen--" Harry was interrupted by his friend making retching noises. "What?"

"Doesn't that creep you out?"

"Why would it?" Harry asked, genuinely puzzled.

Ron stared at him as if he'd grown an extra head. "Harry! They're your godparents! You witnessed them getting off, for Merlin's sake! Blimey, if I ever caught my parents doing something like that…" he shuddered, "Ugh. Nasty!" He stuck out his tongue and shuddered again for effect.

Harry smiled at his mate's melodramatic antics. "Well, Ron, I did spend most of the last term hoping they'd get back together. I just thought that it was an encouraging sign that things were going well. Besides, it's not like I caught them doing, well, _it_ or anything!"

Ron threw his hands up in front of his face and winced. "Stop, stop! Don't say that! Don't even give my mind the chance to form that mental image of my parents…Aaaaugh!" Ron dropped his head into his hands. "Great bleeding hell, Harry," he said weakly, "I'm going to have to get hit in the head by a Bludger now…"

"Face it, mate," Harry snickered, a fiendish smirk on his face, "your parents have done it at least seven times--"

"SIX TIMES! They had twins!" Ron was turning an amazing shade of red and sounded like he might be hyperventilating. "They only did it six times!" he insisted.

At that moment, Hermione happened to finally join them. "Did what six times?" she asked pertly as she set her book bag down on the rocks.

"Nothing!" gasped Ron at the same time that Harry said, "Had sex," in a matter-of-fact tone.

Hermione turned bright red. "What in Merlin's name are you talking about?" she blurted.

Harry, who was truly getting some perverse enjoyment from his friend's discomfiture, explained, "We're talking about how many times Ron's parents have--"

"No, no! Mione, make him stop!" Ron moaned piteously.

Hermione took in the looks on her two friends' faces, put her hands on her hips, and admonished, "Harry Potter, you can be pure evil sometimes." She shouldered her bag and snapped, "I'm out of here!"

"I'm right there with you," Ron muttered as he scrambled after her.

Harry followed his two friends at a slower pace, chuckling. He refused to feel guilty for rattling them both. After all, he had had a terrible day, and with the anxiety of the second task starting to loom over him, he needed to get as many laughs as he could. Although, he mused as he watched his two friends silhouetted in their wand-light a little way down the path, he had other things to worry about as well. Like why the staccato rhythm his heart made each time he watched Cho Chang walk gracefully through the halls at Hogwarts was the exact same rhythm he had just felt when he looked at Hermione's blushing face in the light of his wand.

* * *

A Hogsmeade weekend was coming up mid-way through January. Hermione mentioned this to Viktor one evening in the library, and proceeded to tell him about the only all-wizarding village in the entirety of Britain. "And when it is all snowy like it is right now, it looks like something out of a storybook."

Viktor was content to sit and let her voice, kept low because they were in the library, wash over him. He was quite sure that Hermione could describe the dirtiest neighborhood in the ugliest part of Sofia, Bulgaria's capital city, and make it seem beautiful. He smiled. "It sounds loffly. Tell me vich are the places you most like to go there."

His ruse to keep her talking was working, but the Hogwarts librarian, who reminded him of a prune, was giving them nasty looks. He touched her arm. "The sour lady is, how you say… glaring at us," he interrupted. "I do not vant you to get in trouble."

Hermione glanced around before taking his hand and whispering, "Come with me." She led him toward the back where there was an alcove near the section on magical forensics. Not many students visited these stacks. "We still need to be quiet, but we won't draw her attention here."

Viktor looked around and wondered how Hermione knew of such a spot, which practically begged for a couple of students to steal secret kisses there. He wished he knew if she'd ever shown this place to Potter. "How did you find this place?" he asked casually.

"Please, I've been coming to this library for four years now," she noted with asperity. "This is a good spot to get away from other students when they are whispering at the tables." She chuckled. "Just like we were."

He laughed softly. "It is also good place for a boy and a girl to talk in romantic vay…" he suggested.

Hermione blushed. "Oh. I didn't—I wasn't--"

Her reaction told Viktor all he needed to know. "It vas just an observation, Herm-own-ninny. I like this place. Ve can talk here vithout the library lady breathing on our necks, yes?" He sat on the low cushioned bench and patted the seat next to him. "Come and finish telling me about Hogsmeade."

She sat and turned to him. "Viktor, it's silly for me to keep prattling on about Hogsmeade when you could just come on the outing and see it yourself."

"Vat do you mean?"

"Come to Hogsmeade next weekend! I could show you around if you like." She bit her lip when she realized how forward she sounded.

"Oh!" Now he understood why she had brought it up in the first place; she wanted to go on the outing with _him_. "I do not think that vould be good idea," he said regretfully. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew they had not come out the way he meant. He shook his head in frustration; his grasp of English always seemed more tenuous when he was around her.

Hermione frowned, trying to mask her disappointment. "Why don't you want to go to Hogsmeade?" She stopped herself from adding _with me_.

Viktor could hear the hurt that laced her words. He reached out and took her hand. "Herm-own-ninny, it is not that. I vish I could go, especially vith you. But, I regret much, if I go, there vill be crowds of people; reporters, fans… you see?"

"Oh." Hermione did see. "I didn't think of that. I guess I forgot that you, well… you draw a crowd. I'm sorry."

Viktor felt a strange sensation twinge in his chest. "No, _mila_. Do not be sorry." He glanced around; they were still alone in the nook in the library. He tugged her hand and pulled her closer to him, eyes fixed on her warm brown gaze. "That you think of me only as 'Viktor,' and not 'Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker' makes me very happy."

His words were soft and low, and beguilingly accented; they seemed to weave a spell over her heart to make it beat faster. She felt his hand very gently tilt her chin up, and his smile, with that damnable dimple, filled her vision as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Hermione closed her eyes and slipped her hands up his arms, and she was swept away in a current of pleasurable sensations as Viktor kissed her and kissed her, and kissed her again. She traced her fingers up his neck and into his dark hair at the base of his skull and kissed him back enthusiastically.

Here was a new kind of magic, one she had yet to study; the kind of magic that this Bulgarian wizard had used to change her into one of those girls who swooned at Slavic inflections and a nice set of shoulders. Her mouth curved into a smile under the sweet and purposeful pressure of his lips. She had always enjoyed investigating new topics, now hadn't she?

* * *

Late in January, the halls of the castle were chilly and darkening as the evening gave way to nighttime and Harry stalked out of the library, annoyed and frustrated. He hadn't spent _that_ much time in there since before the first task when Ron and he hadn't been speaking and he'd spent all his time hanging out with Hermione. Except that _this_ time, he'd been on his own.

Ever since he and Ron and Hermione had helped Dumbledore convince Hagrid to return to teaching, Harry had felt terribly guilty about letting Hagrid believe he'd already worked out the clue for the next task in the golden egg.

Cedric Diggory's suggestion given at the end of the Yule Ball was whispering in the back of Harry's mind, but Harry's attitude toward Diggory was still very sour, no doubt a result of seeing the Hufflepuff Champion holding hands with Cho Chang practically on a daily basis. Diggory had hinted that Harry should take a bath with the golden egg, and Harry wasn't entirely convinced that it wasn't meant as a joke.

So, rather than be made a fool, Harry had decided to do some research in the library. He'd counted on having Hermione help him; after all, she had an uncanny knack of finding obscure references at seemingly precisely the time they were needed. Rather handy skill, that.

But the moment he saw her, sitting at a table with Viktor Krum, quietly discussing who knew what, he knew he couldn't ask for her assistance. For one thing, he'd told her he'd already figured the egg out so she wouldn't nag him about going on the Hogsmeade outing instead of working on the clue. And for another, well, there was the Krum factor. No way in hell was Harry going to let on that he was having trouble with the egg near the Durmstrang Champion. After all, wasn't he in this untenable position to begin with because he was trying to avoid looking like a complete dolt?

He should have known it was a hopeless quest without his brainy friend. He'd scoured the stacks for anything he thought might help, to no avail. He had all but made up his mind to swallow his pride and ask Hermione for help when he looked toward her table in time to see Krum take her hand. Hermione blushed, but gave the Bulgarian a knowing smile before leading him deeper into the library and out of sight.

Harry sat down, flummoxed. All thoughts of the golden egg flew from his mind as he was confronted head-on by a maelstrom of emotions he couldn't even begin to identify. _Where does she think she is going with him?_ he thought indignantly. In the past, Hermione had always been able to sense when he or Ron were struggling with their homework and needed help. _How can she leave when I need her?_ He dropped his head in his hands in frustration. A part of his mind was telling him he was being selfish and childish, but he told that little voice to bugger off while he tried to figure out why his gut twisted so much he felt queasy.

Harry remembered the night they returned from Christmas Holiday. When the students had filed into the Great Hall for dinner, a tall, brooding figure had made a beeline to intercept Hermione. She had flushed and smiled as Krum approached her; he then pulled her aside and spoke to her quietly. Harry had felt his teeth clench.

"Not even here five minutes and they're at it." Ron's low voice had been bitter. All Harry could do was grunt some kind of acknowledgement. Ron had been too wrapped up in his disapproval to notice Harry's reaction to the reunion, for which Harry had been grateful.

He'd half a mind to follow the two of them into the stacks, but what would he say? _I was your friend first!_ Merlin, how old was he anyway, five? Harry knew he had to get out of there before he made a complete ass of himself. He might as well give up on the egg; there was no way he could concentrate on solving that clue now.

So he stalked out of the library sullenly. It was dark, nearing time for curfew, and the halls were practically empty. Harry's abominable mood made him oblivious to anything, so he was very startled by someone coming up the dungeon stairs just as he was passing them.

It was his godmother.

She had been lost in thought as well, and was as startled as he was. "Harry! You nearly gave me a coronary!"

"Sorry," he said automatically. Then he looked suspiciously down the dungeon stairwell. "What were you doing down there?"

She gave him an inscrutable look. "Just investigating," she answered smoothly.

"Investigating what?"

"Investigating which students have a propensity for skulking about and trying to scare the staff half to death," she teased. "What are you up to?" She wondered why his sidekicks were nowhere in sight.

"Me?" Harry laughed cynically. "Just leaving the library after my evening turned into a total waste of time."

His tone made Rinna appraise him carefully. "My classroom isn't too far," she noted casually. "I could conjure some tea, or hot cocoa, and maybe we could salvage the evening a bit before curfew."

It was Harry's turn to study her; concern dusted her face and she was in full godmother-mode. He heaved a big sigh and said flatly, "I doubt it."

She deliberately misinterpreted him. "Actually, I'm quite capable of conjuring tea, I'll have you know."

A smile appeared fleetingly on his face. "Yeah, I know. I've seen you do it."

Rinna cocked her head in invitation. "Come on."

Neither spoke as they went up the stairs to the D.A.D.A. classroom; she ushered him into her small office at the back of the room and soon a steaming kettle and mismatched cups and saucers were on her desk. "Would you like peppermint, or chamomile… or perhaps something stronger?" She peered at him. "Do you need to be able to stay up tonight? You look like you should try to get some sleep," she fussed before breaking off. "Sorry. I think I was taken over by Molly Weasley for a minute there."

Harry grinned weakly. "S'okay. You're not too bad at the mum thing, you know."

"Oh, thank you so much," she said sarcastically as she dropped a mock curtsey, but her heart gave an extra _ka-thunk _at the oblique compliment. "And I feel like peppermint, so that's what you're having too, impudent scamp." Harry shrugged his acquiescence.

He felt her eyes on him as he blew across the rim of his teacup to cool the contents. "So what were you looking for in the library?" she prompted.

Harry sighed. That anxious feeling he felt before the first task was back in his stomach. It was time to put it all out on the table, so to speak. "I was trying to figure out the clue from the golden egg," he said miserably.

"I see." To her credit, Rinna managed to not look terribly taken aback. She leaned back in her chair and sipped her tea as she digested this information. "I'm sure you realize that the second task is only--"

"A few weeks away," Harry finished for her. "Yeah, I know." He hung his head. "It's just that… well there was the Yule Ball, and Christmas, and then Hagrid and that beastly article--"

"Harry." She placed a hand on his arm. "Harry! Look at me." He raised his eyes to hers and found her face full of concern and empathy. "You still have time, but none to lose. So let's look at this logically. Do you have any idea about how to decipher the clue, any at all?"

"No." He paused. "Well…" Rinna gave him a _go on_ gesture. "Cedric Diggory said something to me right after the Yule Ball."

Rinna raised an eyebrow. "What did he say?"

"He told me to take a bath. With my egg. Gave me the password to the Prefect's Bath. But I thought he might be pulling my leg, so I haven't."

She held up a hand. "Why would Cedric give you a hint in the first place, and why wouldn't you believe him if he did?"

Harry proceeded to tell her how he had warned Cedric about the dragons. "But I told him outright, and he just told me a riddle. So I thought that maybe he was trying to make me look like a fool in front of Cho…" Harry trailed off. Once he said it out loud, he realized it sounded very petty.

"That doesn't seem in character with the Cedric Diggory I know," Rinna said quietly. "But that is neither here nor there. Have you heard anything from the other two champions?" Harry shook his head. "Have you seen anything? Practicing spells? Taking books from a particular section of the library?"

"No. I hardly see Fleur at all. And Krum, I saw him in the library, but he was just sitting with Hermione, talking." _And holding her hand._

The note in his voice prompted Rinna to take notice, but she did not comment. Instead, she asked, "That's it? The only time you've seen him?"

Harry's brows pulled together. "Hang on. I saw him the day we went to Hogsmeade. Hermione, Ron and I watched him jump off the Durmstrang ship to go swimming in the lake. I thought he was completely mad, swimming in that water when it is so cold."

"Huh."

Harry stared at her bemusedly. "What do you mean, 'huh'? What's that got to do with the clue?"

Rinna leaned forward, her voice low and intense. "Think about it, Harry. Let's assume for the moment that Diggory is on the level. He tells you to take a bath. Krum went swimming in the lake." She paused meaningfully. "Do you see any connection? Any commonality?"

He scrunched his face in concentration as several long moments ticked by. He snapped his fingers. "Water." He looked up at his godmother. "It has something to do with water." He lifted the corner of his mouth ruefully. "I guess I'll be taking that bath after all."

"The Prefect's Bath is really very nice," she noted mildly. "I highly recommended it, only… be sure to take your father's Invisibility Cloak if you are going to wander around late at night breaking curfew." She smirked. "I really shouldn't have said that."

Harry grinned. "Said what?" he asked innocently.

"Good lad."

Silence filled the room like an old worn afghan, warm and comfortable, yet Rinna was having an internal debate. Should she let the evening end on this pleasant note, or should she open up a potentially huge can of worms? She sighed inwardly. Well, she'd never been one to be squeamish about creepy crawlies…

"I'm surprised you didn't ask Hermione to help you tonight." Her voice was, she hoped, drenched in nonchalance.

Harry glanced sharply at Rinna. The expression on her face was open and inviting and he remembered a conversation from several months back.

"_You know that you can stop by and talk brooms with me anytime, right?"_

"_Just brooms?" he asked. _

"_Brooms, Quidditch, girls… whatever. I'd say any topic is fair game."_

He thought he knew what she was doing; he just wasn't sure if he really wanted to talk about girls, specifically his wild-haired, first-kiss friend.

He squirmed. He knew that if Rinna chose to, she could probably find out everything she wanted to know through skillful and subtle interrogation and he wouldn't even realize what she was doing. He'd seen her extract confessions of shirked homework from several of his classmates in just such a manner; the poor sods hadn't known what hit them until it was all said and done. If he had learned anything from D.A.D.A. this month, it was to never underestimate his godmother.

But at this moment, she was being very transparent with him, and he rather felt that if he shut down the conversation, she would not pursue it. He decided to test his theory. "Well, she was studying with Krum tonight." He gave a little shrug.

"Ah." Her expression remained pleasantly neutral. She sipped her tea.

Harry felt compelled to add, lest she think Krum intimidated him, "And I didn't want him to know I hadn't figured out the clue yet."

She nodded. "Of course." She held up the teapot to offer him more. He pushed his cup to her for a refill. Then she warmed her own cup, inhaled the aroma, and took another sip.

Harry waited. She really wasn't going to press him for information. He felt his heart swell with affection for her and he smiled to himself. She wasn't like Molly Weasley at all. _Not that Molly Weasley is bad_, he amended to himself. _After all, sometimes it's nice to have someone mother you and make you talk your problems out. For your own good._

Rinna watched the battle play out over Harry's features. She hoped she had earned his trust, but she wasn't going to press the issue. It was hard enough to get boys to talk about their feelings without an adult authority figure breathing down their necks and demanding it. She was pretty sure that their late night tea-time was about to end. At least they had gotten the subject of the second task out in the open. That was the most important matter at hand.

Of course, she reminded herself, at Harry's age matters of the heart were equally important. Right up there with life and death situations, like surviving Triwizard Tournament Tasks. She smiled a bit as she remembered wanting to sink through the floor or drop dead on the spot because of some embarrassing-at-the-moment situation with a boy.

She was startled out of her reverie by Harry's own attempt at nonchalance. "Did Sirius tell you about New Year's Eve?"

She knew exactly what he was referring to; Harry's unfortunate kissing of Hermione. "He did," she replied gently, and waited for him to go on.

Harry waited for her to say more.

Finally, Harry snorted when he realized what was going on. He wanted her to ask, she didn't want to push him; it was an impasse. "Rinna," he said, almost reproachfully, "I think this is the part where you are supposed to ask me if I want to talk about it." One side of his mouth twitched up into a wry half-grin.

His godmother's eyebrows rose. "Right. Sorry. I _am_ new to this whole 'mum thing' you know; haven't had much practice yet, and it's not like expertise in the Dark Arts or Potions is any help."

Harry grinned and leaned back in his chair. She was flustered and out of her element, and he felt like the ground had evened out. "Well, this is your lucky night, then, darling Godmother. I happen to be here for you to practice on."

There was a subtle shift in the atmosphere at that moment when her gaze locked with his and he watched her lips twitch at the corners. He could not put his finger on how he knew it, but somehow the two of them had turned a corner in their relationship.

"So Harry," she asked gently, eyes never leaving his, "do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," he told her honestly, "but I'm confused about how I feel about my best friend and I can't sort it out. And I figured, well, you used to be a girl… maybe you could help me?"

He looked as wretched as any fourteen-year-old with a crush on somebody could, and Rinna had to resist the urge to pull him into her arms and comfort him or do something equally as insulting to his tender male ego. "I promise I'll do my best," she reassured him. "I'll just brew us something a little stronger, shall I?"

----- -----

Hermione looked up to see Harry coming through the portrait hole well past curfew. Ron had already left the common room for the night, as had most of the other inhabitants of Gryffindor Tower. Harry looked to their usual spot, spotted her and strode toward her. She opened her mouth to scold him for being out past curfew without his Invisibility Cloak.

"I know what you're going to say, Mione, but Rinna walked me to the Tower herself so I wouldn't get into trouble." He sat down next to her.

"Oh. I was wondering where you were." She returned to the essay she'd been writing on Switching Spells.

Harry stared into the fire, and with the conversation with Rinna fresh in his mind, worked up the courage to speak. "So, I've been thinking about what you said."

She looked up, puzzled. "What I said when?"

"On New Years. When I kissed you."

Hermione flushed. "Oh."

"You said I was going to ruin everything."

She put down her quill. "Harry--"

He held up a hand. "Please Hermione, let me say this." He watched her close her mouth as she looked at him with wide eyes. "I don't know exactly what you were talking about that night, but I do know one thing that I absolutely do not want to ruin. And that is our friendship."

"Harry…" her voice broke.

He continued as if she hadn't interrupted. "I don't know what it is I feel about you, but I know that it is messing me up because I'm terrified that I think of you as, you know, more than a friend, but I'm also terrified that I may lose you…"

"Harry," she whispered.

"And it's not worth it, Hermione, it's not. Not if I ruin our friendship." He looked at her unhappily. "It's terrible timing, isn't it? Me realizing that it is you I want to be snogging, just when you want to be snogging someone else."

"Harry." She waited to see if he would interrupt her again. "You're my best friend. That was my first kiss last summer."

"Mine too."

"And honestly, I can't think of anyone better to share that with. It felt safe with you, you know?" She took his hand.

Hermione always knew how to hit the nail on the head. "Yeah, I do know. I knew you'd be honest with me without hurting my feelings too badly," he told her.

"Hurting your feelings?" She looked perplexed.

"You know, telling me if the kiss was ghastly or if I'm rubbish with girls."

"You're not rubbish with girls, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed indignantly. Then she added shyly, "And none of the kisses were ghastly."

Harry mouthed the word _kisses_ in comprehension, noting the plural, and grinned. "Really?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Boys." She slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

His grin slowly softened. He looked at her hand in his. "So, you really do fancy Krum?" She blushed and nodded. He inhaled through his nose, then let the breath out. "Listen, Mione. Be careful. He's a lot older than you." He saw her eyes start to snap. "Now don't get mad; hear me out. I've heard the way Oliver and the other seventh year boys talk." He blushed, and so did she. He squeezed her hand. "Just… be careful."

"Okay," she answered softly.

He turned and took her face in his hands. "If he hurts you, I don't care how much bigger he is than me, I'll- I'll hex him into next week."

Hermione threw her arms around Harry and hugged him tightly. "That's about the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"Well," he said gruffly into her mass of hair, "we'll always watch each others' backs, won't we?"

* * *

The first day of February, which was clear and cold with a dusting of fresh snow, found each of the underclassmen D.A.D.A. classes out on the grounds (having been warned to dress warmly in the dinnertime announcements the night before) where Professor Dunlevy had fashioned fortresses, bunkers and foxholes in the snow. She proceeded to explain the rules of the exercise.

"It's like Capture the Flag," Hermione whispered. Several others nodded, recognizing the similarities to the Muggle game. The object was to seize the other team's House Flag.

The Professor set several safety charms, including a Sunblocking Charm to avoid sunburn, before answering any final questions. "Oh, and class," she added with a very wicked tilt to the grin she gave them all, "I forgot to mention…" A Summoning Charm caught everyone by surprise as each student's wand flew from his or her hand. Rinna clicked her tongue at them, clearly disgruntled that she'd disarmed them all. "This little exercise will be done without wands."

That evening, the Great Hall was filled with chatter as classmates recalled strategies and brilliant ploys that had taken place that day. Practically all agreed that the class had been ace. Fred and George griped very loudly, "Dunlevy never let us upperclassmen play games! It's completely unfair!" A few others hushed them, but Rinna had heard them from the Head Table. She rolled her eyes; she knew they were teasing.

The Twins' comment, even though they'd only been jokingly calling to question her reputation of fairness, had the unforeseen effect of serving as a catalyst for the dormant "What House was Professor Dunlevy in?" question. Speculation was rampant the next morning at breakfast, and by lunchtime it was the main topic of conversation.

There had been a knot of Slytherins huddled around Malfoy all through breakfast, whispering earnestly, but Harry hadn't given it much thought until lunch when George and Fred sat down near him, Hermione and Ron. After all, for once Malfoy and his cronies were keeping to themselves and not making other students' lives miserable.

"The Slytherins are saying the G.M. was in their House," Fred told them quietly.

"So?" Ron said. "That's what the 'Puffs and 'Claws are saying too. Who cares what they say, anyway?"

"Well, the Snakes are the only ones saying they have absolute evidence of it," George noted grimly. "Malfoy says he can prove it."

Harry glanced up sharply. "Malfoy! What the hell does he know?" The twins shrugged. "Maybe he's trying to make trouble for another teacher, now that Hagrid's back."

"Dunno. Doesn't seem like they are trying to make trouble so much as they are bragging." George jerked a thumb at the Slytherin table. "They're acting awfully smug about it." Sure enough, Malfoy and his cronies were smirking and looking rather pleased with themselves. Particularly now that students from the Ravenclaw table were now looking at the Slytherins and then putting heads together and whispering.

"Don't tell me the Ravenclaws believe them," Ron said incredulously. "That's ridiculous. I thought they were supposed to be smart!"

Harry felt his mouth go dry. He wasn't sure what Malfoy's intentions were, but he knew they couldn't be good. That much was obvious. "Malfoy had better watch himself," he hissed venomously, fingering his wand.

"Harry," Hermione warned, "don't you even _think_ of trying anything! Last term you were in trouble for dueling with Malfoy in the halls, twice!"

"He's trying to smear Rinna's reputation!" Harry protested.

"_Professor Dunlevy_," Hermione put special emphasis on the title, "is very capable of defending her own reputation. And you cannot afford to be spending evenings in detention if we are going to need every spare moment to figure out how to get you through the next task."

Harry glowered at her. She was right, of course, about Rinna and about avoiding detention. He flicked his glance to the Slytherins and Malfoy's self-satisfied expression made his blood boil. "He'd just better watch what he says." Harry let the warning dangle ominously as he got up and slouched out of the hall, Hermione and Ron scrambling to catch up as they made their way to afternoon classes.

----- -----

Students were mingling about after the final bell signaled the break before dinner when Harry saw Malfoy. He stepped in front of the blond boy and challenged in a low voice, "And just where did you get the rubbish idea that you know what House Professor Dunlevy was in?"

Draco smirked and replied condescendingly, "It's not rubbish. She was in Slytherin. I have proof."

"Proof?" Harry snarled. "What proof?"

"Really, Potty, you are being quite thick. More so than usual," snapped Malfoy. "Both my mother and my father told me she was in Slytherin."

"You will excuse me if I don't put much stock into what your mother and father say, Malfoy," Harry said coldly.

"Are you calling my parents liars?" Draco asked in a low, dangerous tone. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"Yes!" shouted Harry. "She wasn't in Slytherin. She played Quidditch with my father and my godfather for Gryffindor!"

"Oh really?" sneered Draco. "Well there is one way to prove that, Potter."

Harry snapped his fingers. "The trophy room." He turned and began walking quickly down the hall, heading toward the third floor, followed by Ron and Hermione, Malfoy and his goons. When they arrived, Harry marched directly to the Gryffindor trophy case. He tapped the glass with his wand and muttered the spell that brought out all the trophies from the decade in question.

He found the House Cup for every year that his dad had been at Hogwarts, prominently displayed with a plaque along side it listing the names of each player on the winning House Quidditch team. James Potter was listed on the last five as Seeker. He moved down the case looking for the House Cup for the year after his father had graduated -- Rinna's final year.

Where was it? He murmured the trophy display spell again. Nothing changed. Harry frowned.

"Finding what you are looking for, Potter?" came a sneering drawl from over by the Slytherin case.

Harry turned to Ron and Hermione with puzzlement. "She said she was Seeker when her team won the House Cup, right?" Ron nodded. "And that she was Chaser the two years before that, right?" Ron nodded again. Harry stooped to peer at the names on the plaques the last two years his dad was there. Three Chasers were listed; one was Sirius Black, but none were Arinna Dunlevy… "I don't understand," Harry whispered, bewildered.

Hermione found the team photographs and scrutinized them. "I don't see her in the photos, Harry."

Draco's voice cut across the room again. "Still looking for her over there, are you?" He tapped the glass of the Slytherin case with a well manicured nail. "Well, well, she was as easy on the eyes _then_ as she is now."

"Shut your ruddy mouth, Malfoy! She is not over there and you know it!" Harry strode menacingly toward Draco.

"Oh no? See for yourself, Potter." His narrow face held a sneer of pure spite.

Harry felt rage rise in him, like lava coming to the surface in a volcano, ready to explode and wipe the derision off of Malfoy's face. He felt his hands cocking into fists as he closed in on Malfoy. He saw Crabbe and Goyle step forward. He tried to swing, but both arms were weighted down, one of his best friends on each side, stopping him from doing something extremely stupid, again.

Draco, absolutely secure in the knowledge that he was right and Potter was wrong, felt almost magnanimous as he gestured elegantly to the trophy case and stepped aside. This was going to be entirely delicious to watch; those know-it-all Gryffindors were so damned cock-sure of themselves, were they?

Harry's eyes widened, his mouth opened and closed but no words came out in his shock. In the display case before him was the House Cup for the year that Rinna had graduated. The plaque listed the names of the members of that year's victorious team; listed as "Chaser/Seeker" was Arinna Dunlevy.

"Merlin, she _was_ in Slytherin!" breathed Ron, pointing to the team picture. Rinna stood with her team, in her silver and green Quidditch robes, smiling her happiest smile. There was no mistaking the red hair, falling in two thick braids down her shoulders, or the green eyes flashing with excitement. In her hand was the broom she had shown them last summer: the Silver Dart. The broom Sirius had given her.

Hermione, Harry and Ron stood in stunned silence and watched as the Slytherins in the picture broke rank and exuberantly congratulated each other, the girls hugging, the boys clapping each other on their backs, waving their broomsticks in the air.

Harry's mind began to register what he was seeing. _She was a Slytherin. How could she have been in Slytherin? Sirius fell in love with her. My mum was best friends with her. How could she… _

"So, Potter," Draco drawled, looking extremely pleased with himself as he leaned against the trophy case, "ready to admit that you were mistaken? Or are you still going to insist that your lady-love was in Gryffindor?"

"What are you insinuating, Malfoy?" Hermione's voice was cold and dangerous.

"Oh, please. It's obvious. Potty is still in shock that the teacher he has a crush on has fallen from grace in his eyes. Not the pure Gryffindor you were hoping for, hmmm, Scar-head?"

Hermione sputtered indignantly, Ron growled and cocked his fists, and Harry glared daggers at Draco as he said, "Sod off, Malfoy," in a taut, angry voice. He made to leave, but Crabbe and Goyle moved to intercept him. Quicker than a blink, Harry's wand was out. _"Impedimenta!"_ he grated out, and all three Slytherin boys were rooted to the spot. Without another glance, Harry swept out of the room, fuming, with his friends following closely at his heels.

* * *

**A/N: (Admires the view from the cliff) Gee, sure is nice from up here! This chapter was so much fun to write! I hope you enjoyed it, dear Reader, and I would LOVE to hear what you thought! Reviews lead to happiness, which leads to gleeful thoughts, which leads to inspiration, which leads to better (and more timely) writing. So, no pressure or anything, but the fate of the story **_**could**_** depend entirely on you, gracious Reviewer! **

**Special thanks to those who reviewed Chapter 22 (seems like a million years ago, doesn't it?): Lorett, Kerichi, Sophia Loren, Sunny June 46, desiderea, Josephine Taylor, Countess Alecto, and Starfire S.!**

19


	24. Out of Sorts

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 24: Out of Sorts**

**Disclaimer: I have not just completed a 17 year journey of seven novels that tell an epic story of good and evil and feature an orphaned boy-wizard. In other words, I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe. Any characters, places, situations, ideas, spells or any properties of the Sorting Hat that you don't find in her fabulous books, well, they belong to me.**

* * *

The final bell found Rinna in her office. She didn't have any appointments, but kept open office hours until dinner. Usually the students came in right after the bell if they needed to see her, so she didn't start on her work right away but chose instead to re-read Sirius' morning post.

_Darling Gemstone,_

_I can just picture you preening in anticipation of accepting your "Godmother of the Year" award! Of course you handled everything with the godson just fine; you've always been ace at dealing with children. I'm worried that the poor kid is going to give his heart away too easily and get hurt, what with being starved for affection for so long by those bastard Muggles._

_Loved hearing about your lesson plans… mostly because I like to daydream of the kind of pranks I'd pull if I was in your class. Or other things I'd like to do. (I'm waggling my eyebrows suggestively here. I probably shouldn't mention the fantasies I've been having about an almost-innocent schoolboy seduced by a sophisticated and sexy professor.) How'd your latest plan work? _

_Nice to hear the project continues to go well. Hopefully that means you can actually pull yourself away soon and pay some attention to the pooch. The house-sitter is away most of the time now, no doubt canoodling with the cousin. You should sack him. I've put in a doggie door. I don't think there was any permanent damage to the south wall. _

_Missing you terribly,_

_B_

While she doubted Remus was gone as much as Sirius implied, she could tell he was lonely. She wasn't sure how she felt about him roaming about in his Animagus form, though. Then she silently berated herself; the man had been imprisoned for years! He deserved to be able to leave the house whenever he wanted, even if it was only safe to do so as a big mutt. She sighed. She should have thought of a doggie door a long time ago.

Rinna glanced at the clock. She had just enough time to dash off a quick reply to take to the Owlery after dinner, and then rework some calculations on the latest modification to her potions experiment, before she would be expected in the Great Hall for dinner.

_Dearest B,_

_I do NOT preen, you prat! And I never was ace at dealing with children, but dealing with my peers. NOW I'm the grown-up who's expected to be wise and have all the answers. I think I may be rubbish at that. I worry about the kiddo too. I think he's worked out the best friend thing for the time being. I'm so very thankful I'm not 14 anymore!_

_Latest lesson plan was a big success! They all had so much fun they didn't even realize they were learning useful skills. I think the house-sitter would call it "subversive instruction."_

_Working on the project tonight; I've got to figure out the right proportion of a certain ingredient. Won't bore you with the details. Wish me luck, so I can scratch the pooch behind the ears soon!_

_Loving and missing you,_

_Your Gem_

_PS: I have to say I was more than a little concerned about these lurid fantasies you describe. We will need to "discuss" this further… in person! _

_PPS: There will be no sacking of the house-sitter. I'm rather fond of him._

_PPPS: Watch out for the Muggle animal control people; we wouldn't want the pooch to end up at the pound. _

Rinna sealed the letter and leaned back in her chair. A feeling of contentment settled over her, and she could easily identify several reasons for it. She really was rather pleased with how her relationship with Harry was progressing. She knew he'd worked out the clue after a hurried whispered conversation after class one day. Also, she was thoroughly enjoying teaching and believed that she'd finally discovered her calling. And, she felt she was on the verge of working out the last little tweak needed on her project for Dumbledore, which meant she would be spending the weekend in the arms of her fiancé.

Even the thought of the upcoming Triwizard Task could not dampen her current _all is right with the world_ feeling. Smiling, she reached for her quill, parchment and abacus and set to work.

----- -----

Hermione and Ron ran after Harry as he stormed through the halls to the D.A.D.A. classrooms. He knew Rinna kept office hours at this time. He pushed through the door viciously, stomping through the classroom to the smaller door that was open invitingly, banging on it once with his fist as he entered the cozy little room.

Rinna was already up from her chair in a defensive stance, wand drawn, before she registered that it was Harry and his friends who had entered so abruptly.

"Why the bloody hell didn't you tell me you were in Slytherin?" he yelled as he strode right up to her desk, red-faced, eyes snapping with anger. He slammed his fists on the heavy oak surface, causing inkwells to jostle.

Rinna stared at him in a split-second of shock before she flicked her wand, closing her office door and casting a silencing charm on the room. "Why don't you sit down, Harry, everyone," she said calmly as she came around from behind her desk, moving chairs over with her wand.

"I want an answer, damn it!" He pounded his fists again. "Why didn't you tell me you were in Slytherin?"

She walked up to him, leaned a hip against the desk and faced him. She studied his face for a moment before asking softly, "Why does it matter, Harry?"

Harry's mouth was open, ready to shout again when her question sunk into his brain. He closed his mouth with a snap, and looked down at his fists on the desk. _Why does it matter? Because you are my godmother. Because I just lost face in front of Malfoy. Because ever since I met you, you've kept secret after secret from me. Because Slytherins and Gryffindors hate each other; they don't become best friends, or get engaged…_

_Why does it matter?_ "I dunno. It just does!" he said to the desk.

"Sit down, Harry," she said again. "Have a seat and calm down." Her voice was very persuasive, and Harry found himself moving to a chair. His comrades followed suit. Rinna pulled the last chair around to face them, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the back of it. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

She had been taken by surprise. Somehow, she had assumed (or maybe she'd _hoped_) that Harry had figured it out long ago and had just chosen to avoid acknowledging it; that they had been working under an unstated agreement to not talk about it. Apparently, she'd been very wrong. _Big mistake, Rinna girl_, she thought as she observed the fury painted on Harry's face in livid red strokes. She sat down, took another deep breath and prayed she wouldn't further bugger this up.

Again her voice was soft. "It _shouldn't_ matter."

He spluttered, "It matters because…because…you let me believe you were in Gryffindor!"

Rinna felt anger tighten around her gut at his accusatory tone, despite her attempts to remain calm. She'd known Harry had a rather deep-rooted prejudice against Slytherins. As a result, she may not have been completely forthright with him, but the clues had been there for him to put together, had he wanted to. Instead, he'd made assumptions. Her jaw tightened. "You believed what _you_ chose to believe, Harry!" she snapped.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he barked.

"You believed that I was in Gryffindor because you cannot even fathom the thought that your mother would lower herself to be friends with a Slytherin. You did not want to believe that your beloved godfather would debase himself enough to touch a Slytherin, let alone want to marry one." Her words were reproachful, with bitterness underlying her tone.

Harry opened his mouth to protest almost as soon as she'd started speaking, but Rinna's voice got louder and louder, overriding him. He shut his mouth, slowly let his breath out and cast his eyes down to the floor. What Rinna said was true.

She stopped when she realized she was shouting and rubbed the back of her neck with a sigh, then schooled her voice to the same soft impassivity she'd used earlier. "It wasn't easy, you know," she said. "It wasn't easy. In the beginning, your mother and I caught all kinds of hell for it. She was called every manner of filthy names, subjected to cruel pranks. I was in all kinds of fights and scrapes, more often than not shut out of the dorms, and taunted as well." The trio's eyes grew wide.

Rinna locked gazes with each of them for a moment. "_Each_ of us was subjected to abuse by _both_ Gryffindors _and_ Slytherins." She got up, and moved the few steps to the bookcases in the corner as her words were absorbed by the abashed young Gryffindors. She turned slightly but kept most of her back to them. "You see, when the Gryffindors saw the snake insignia over my heart," she placed her right hand over her left breast, "they refused to look any further. What they thought they saw was a sneaky, stuck-up, pureblooded bint who was born with an unnatural proclivity toward the Dark Arts." Each of the kids jerked a bit at the bluntness of her words.

"My housemates would pick out a Gryffindor and manage to see only a self-righteous, self-aggrandizing blood-traitor who swaggered about boasting and blindly playing the hero. Or else, they just saw a Mudblood." She turned around to look at them; they were shocked. "Nothing has really changed in twenty years, now has it?"

There was a long, awkward silence, and Harry began to feel his hot rage start to simmer down to mere anger and indignation. The trio squirmed in their seats, discomfited by the quiet.

_Well, Rinna, you might as well finish what you started._ She returned to her seat and leaned forward, elbows on her knees, and studied her hands as she played with the ruby ring that she'd switched to her right hand for discretionary reasons. "I never meant to fall for a Gryffindor, and I'm sure a Slytherin was the last person Sirius expected to fall in love with, but…who can argue with the heart?" She lifted her head to look at Harry. "Sirius and I had to sneak around for almost a year after we started going out, in order to keep our 'unholy' relationship a secret. We kept it undercover until I became an upperclassman."

The belligerent tilt to Harry's chin softened just a little, but the sharpness in his eyes told Rinna that no matter what she said tonight, this rift would not be easily mended in one evening. The contrast between this moment and the euphoria she'd felt before the confrontation was as keen as a knife blade.

Rinna cleared her throat and glanced at the clock on her desk. She stood up. "Well, you three, I was working on something that needs to be done before dinner when you slammed your way into my office…"

Ron and Hermione simultaneously began to stammer out apologies. Rinna leaned back against her desk and eyed all of them seriously. "Harry—and you too, Ron and Hermione—I will be blunt here. You are completely intolerant of anything Slytherin, to a fault. All things are _not_ divided between red and green, and it's time you opened your minds a little."

Rinna observed the slightly mutinous set to each kid's jaw at this suggestion. She knew from experience that old prejudices did not die easily. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "Look, I'd be a hypocrite if I told you that you should never hate anyone. But before you despise someone, make sure that he or she _merits_ that kind of intensity of emotion, because the energy you expend on hatred could be put to better and more powerful uses." She looked at them all kindly. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Silence reigned for a moment before they nodded solemnly, and made to leave. Harry trailed the others and he cast one last reproving look at his godmother before stepping out of the office.

When she heard the distant click of the classroom door latching, Rinna walked around her desk and sat down, resting her head in her hands. _By Jupiter's moons, is this the way it will always be with me and Harry? With him finding out something he thinks I should have told him, and resenting me for it?_ She shook her head. How many times would this happen before he wouldn't forgive her? She hoped fervently that it wasn't _this_ time. Sighing, she slowly reached for the letter to Sirius, broke the seal, turned over the parchment, and began to write.

----- -----

"Cor, Harry! What did that pork chop ever do to you?" George said quietly, pointing his fork at Harry's plate.

"Imagining it's Malfoy's face, are you?" Fred added knowingly.

Harry made a non-committal growl and continued savaging his dinner. Ron leaned over to his brothers and noted in a low voice, "Malfoy does have proof." The twins' brows rose in unison. "Trophy room. She was definitely in Slytherin."

"Blimey!" Fred breathed.

"How'd you find out?" George asked.

Harry viciously stabbed some green beans. In hushed tones, Hermione gave them the abridged version of what happened. Fred and George looked impressed. "You stormed into her office like that? That took balls, mate. She could've hexed you into oblivion," Fred commented. There were several seconds of silence.

"'Course, it makes sense, if you think about it," George mused. "I mean, look at that broom she's got."

"And she knows a lot about the Dark Arts," added Fred.

"And she was pretty damned sneaky, all the things she used to do to us in class."

"Right. And don't forget: she speaks Parseltongue."

"Not to mention, she looks smashing in green--"

There was a loud clatter as Harry threw his fork and knife onto his plate. He stood abruptly and left the Great Hall without a word. Rinna had been watching the Gryffindors all through dinner, and while her eyes followed him to the door, her impassive expression never changed.

* * *

_Dinner must be over by now_, Sirius thought a few days later as he paced the living room and he pictured Rinna walking from the Great Hall to her quarters before stepping into the fireplace. How she had finagled a Friday night temporary Floo connection on such short notice, he did not know, but he was grateful that he did not need to wait till Saturday morning to see his lover. He was also pleased that, upset over her rift with Harry, he was the person she had turned to first; their relationship was growing more and more despite the physical distance between them. 

Sirius reached out and gripped Rinna's arm, steadying her as she entered the room with a tell-tale whoosh of green flame. "Thanks," Rinna gasped as she stumbled into him. He put his arms around her to keep her from falling.

"Hey, just stay here a minute until your head stops spinning," Sirius admonished as she tried to push herself out of his embrace. "I've got you."

She sunk back against his chest and allowed him to support her. She chuckled into his jumper. "I don't see how this will help, Blackie. Being in such close proximity to you just makes my head spin even more."

Sirius grinned and kissed the top of her head. "Ah, I've missed you, my silver-tongued seductress."

Rinna laughed and gave him a squeeze before stepping back to look up at him. She rose on her tip-toes to give him a peck on the lips. A rascally look crossed his face and he took her in his arms again and dipped her back as if they were dancing. He smirked as she gave a little shriek, and kissed her soundly. "Now that's more like the greeting I was hoping for," he remarked as he returned her to an upright position.

"Indeed." Her brow arched as her eyes snapped, accepting the challenge. "Is this one of those fantasies you told me about, Blackie?" She fisted her hand in the front of his jumper and pulled his lips to hers.

They lost themselves in an episode of passionate snogging before he pulled away slightly and responded, "It certainly is the start of one of them anyway!"

Rinna laughed throatily before pulling him to her again. The kisses had a sense of urgency to them now. Her hands roamed over him as she insistently parted his mouth with her tongue, sending a jolt of desire through him. Sirius felt a change in the tension of her body as she slipped her hands under his clothes and moved her lips down his neck, and it reminded him of…

"_What's wrong, love?" He peered at her, deeply concerned at the distressed look on her face._

"_Just kiss me, Sirius," she whispered desperately. "Fill my head with you and only you." She pressed herself to him and crashed her mouth to his._

_He gently pushed her away, and looked into her wild eyes. "What's wrong? What's happened?" He watched her face pinch as the compulsion spell took over._

"_I can't tell you," she panted, "but… I need to get it out of my head… memories… I need you." She tugged at his belt, his clothing, in a way that set him on fire and left no doubt as to what she meant by needing him. He kissed her fervently; she hissed her approval, "Yesss, Blackie…"_

_He moved his mouth to her ear and growled, "I'll take care of you, baby."_

The smirk on Sirius' face widened as her clever and persistent hands swiftly divested him of unnecessary clothing. Naturally, he returned the favor, but before he could suggest they move the few feet to the couch, he found himself pinned to the rug in front of the hearth.

----- -----

"Well, that was a blast from the past," Sirius drawled lazily sometime later. "I almost want to thank Harry for causing you distress."

She lifted her head from his chest, face creased in puzzlement. "What are you talking about?"

"This." He swept his hand dramatically down their entwined forms. "It was just like back then," he explained, "when you'd come back from an assignment and… well, you couldn't talk about it so you sought to, ah, alleviate your stress in other…" He tried to state it delicately. "Well, let's say you found solace in more physical ways." He watched her mouth drop in surprise and comprehension. "Only, _now_ there is no compulsion stopping you from discussing what is bothering you." He caressed her cheek.

Dawning horror filled her eyes. "Sun, moon and stars, Sirius! I _used_ you!" She tried to free herself, but he circled her waist and held her to him. She struggled, pushing against his chest.

"Listen to me, Rinna!" At his tone her eyes snapped to his, wide and bemused. He shook his head with a slight smile. "I was what, all of nineteen? Twenty? My girlfriend would come home, jump me and shag me senseless. I wasn't complaining."

"But—I used you again, just now!"

"I'm still not complaining," he noted, voice rising in volume to override her. "There's nothing wrong with that: you seeking comfort in that way. And if I can offer you that consolation, I will." A slight leer crept over his countenance. "Repeatedly, if necessary."

She continued to look at him in wonder, although the edges of her mouth twitched upward a bit at his last remark.

"Nevertheless," he continued as he stood up and offered her his hand, "I think now is a good time for me to demonstrate that my ears work just as impressively as other parts of my anatomy." She snorted in amusement as he helped her to her feet. Sirius pulled her into a loose embrace and tipped his forehead carefully against hers. "Do you want to talk about Harry?"

Rinna nodded, so he took her hand, led her to the couch and draped an afghan around her. "So," he began, covering himself as well before conjuring a bottle of wine and two glasses, "how _are_ things with Harry?"

Rinna's mouth scrunched into a grimace, and rather than sitting, she began to pace the living room. "In a word: frosty." She sighed. "He's stopped making a point to walk by and say goodbye as he leaves the classroom. Any interaction we have in class is very…formal. He avoids looking at me in the Great Hall." She returned to the couch, sat down gracelessly and accepted the glass he offered, bringing it to her lips inattentively. "I just don't know what to do about it."

"Once he realizes that it really isn't fair to be upset with you for something you couldn't help—being sorted into Slytherin—he'll come around." He slung his arm around her shoulders and squeezed reassuringly.

"I wish it was that simple, that all he was troubled about was me being Slytherin." She sighed. "I'm afraid it is more than that. I think he feels I kept it a secret from him. And in all honesty, I did. Not consciously really…" She turned to him. "But I firmly believe, Sirius, that one factor in my sorting to Slytherin was because secrets and deception and confabulation were already so ingrained into me--"

"Rinna--"

"—and _that_ is what is bothering me." Her face became pinched. "It's so ingrained into me, into my psyche, Sirius!" She laughed hollowly. "No wonder I was so valuable to the Order." Bitterness hung on her tongue. "I can't divorce myself from that part of me. And it will always be that way with Harry and me, always! I will always have secrets and… he will never trust me." Her shoulders slumped in defeat.

Sirius finally understood. He pulled her into his arms. "He will, Rinna. He will."

She pressed her face to his chest, muffling her words. "_You_ know this about me. You _accept_ this about me."

"Harry will accept it." He kissed the top of her head. "He will understand." She shook her head. "I'll talk to him, baby."

She pulled back to look at him askance. "What?"

"I'll talk to him." He saw her eyebrows rise skeptically. "What? You don't think I can pull off the Godparent Thing, too?"

"Well… I… well what will you say to him?"

One side of his mouth turned up. "Neatly sidestepping the question, are we? I won't tell him anything you don't want me to." He held her gaze. "Trust me, Ruby."

She looked at him for several heartbeats. "I do, Blackie," she breathed. She leaned once more into his embrace and he pulled her flush against him and held her tightly, pressing kisses into her hair.

Rinna clung to her lover, grateful once again for the stroke of luck, or divine intervention, that he was the man who loved her; that he had, by some miracle, been able to see past the old prejudices all those years ago. Ever so slyly, Dumbledore's voice slipped into her thoughts: _Love, my dear Arinna. Love is the one thing that will hold back the darkness, be it the darkness in this world, or the darkness in one's soul_. And Merlin knew she loved Sirius. She raised her cheek from his chest and inclined her face toward him. "I love you," she whispered.

When Rinna lifted her chin, Sirius accepted the invitation, feeling the subtle shift in the atmosphere of the room once more as he parted her lips with his and kissed her deeply.

Her lips stretched into a smile against his firm, demanding mouth. "I didn't realize you would offer your comforting services again so soon," she murmured.

"Let's just say that I have ulterior motives, Ruby." His grin was positively lascivious. "I've been bereft of your charms for too long, _mon amoureux." _

"Romancing me in foreign languages now, are you, my gilded-tongued Gryffindor?" she chuckled.

"Mmmm," he agreed as he shifted her against him, pressing her closer. "It's a well-known fact that women swoon when spoken to by their lovers in French."

Her laugh was deep and throaty and sent shockwaves straight to his groin. "Is that so? I think I need to test that theory, Blackie."

Sirius kissed his way along her jaw line to her ear before whispering huskily, "_Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir."_

Her eyes slid shut as her stomach turned back-flips. "Sweet mother of Morgana!" she exclaimed hoarsely, "You were right!"

He pulled her up from the couch and began to walk her backwards toward the bedroom. "_Votre reponse, s'il vous plait_," he mouthed against her ear.

She responded the only way she could: "_Oui, mon amour_."

* * *

_Harry,_

_We need to talk. Can you meet me at the same place as in November? Same time this Wednesday?_

_Sirius_

It was very quiet in the Gryffindor common room. The flames leapt up and turned emerald green and suddenly Sirius' face was in the fire. It wasn't so startling this time. Harry threw a pillow down and knelt in front of the fireplace. "Hello, Sirius."

"Hello, Harry." Sirius' face glowed green. "How are you?"

"Okay, I reckon."

Sirius looked skeptical. "And where are you at with the second task?"

Harry gave a little shrug. "I've figured out the clue in the egg; I'm to go under the lake to search for something, and I'll have an hour to find it. So I need to be able to breathe underwater for an hour." His eyebrows came together in worry. "D'you know any spell for that, Sirius?"

"Well," Sirius said thoughtfully, "you could try the Bubble-Head Charm. You should be able to find it in any fifth year textbook in the library, only…"

"Only what?"

"The charm itself isn't difficult, and you'd have no trouble with it, Harry. The tricky part is maintaining the air inside the bubble; that's much more advanced magic."

Harry frowned. "Well, I've done advanced magic before, you know," he said huffily. "I did save your life by conjuring a pat--"

"Yes, a full and magnificent patronus. I know." Sirius smiled kindly at his godson, who was obviously in a prickly mood. "I wasn't disparaging your abilities, Harry. I was merely expressing concern that you would not have enough time to master the spell for manufacturing the air, which isn't taught until fifth year, and the trickiest part would be maintaining it for an entire hour. It is tough magic for most, even very skilled wizards." He grinned. "Take, for your example, your godmother. I think the most she ever managed to make it last was about fifteen minutes. And she's no slouch when it comes to magical abilities, that one."

The irritated scowl on Harry's face deepened as he huffed out air in frustration at being so close to a solution, only to have it seem impossible. "How long could you maintain it, Sirius?"

He let out a bark of laughter. "Around thirty minutes. That used to hack her off no end!" His grin was roguish. "Which goes to prove that brilliance in one area of magic doesn't necessarily mean competency in others; it's like any skill I suppose, not everyone can be good at everything, now can they?"

Harry nodded. He was reminded of a conversation last summer. "Rinna told me that she wasn't very good at Legilimency either; that it gives her a headache to do it. But she's good at the other thing, er, Occular--"

"Occlumency," Sirius corrected absently. "So, she finally learned Legilimency, did she?" he mused. "Huh."

Harry studied his godfather. "Doesn't that bother you?"

Sirius raised his brows. "Doesn't _what_ bother me? That she knows how to do something I don't?"

"No. Doesn't it bother you that you didn't know that about her? That she never told you?"

_Ah, now we are getting to it._ And it was Harry who had neatly steered the conversation to the place Sirius had wanted to go. "Is that why you're giving her the cold shoulder, Harry? Because she didn't tell you she'd been sorted Slytherin?" he asked gently.

"It's not just that," Harry said hotly, and he began to tick off Rinna's offenses on his fingers. "She didn't even tell me she was my godmother when we met. Nor that you and she had been engaged. She let me find those things out through her picture album. She failed to mention that she already knew you had been framed for Wormtail's murder. And she didn't tell me that she was considering the offer to teach at Hogwarts." He was in full fury now. "Not to mention: how did I learn she was a Parselmouth? Oh, yes, that's right… when she _started speaking to snakes_ in front of me and half my year-mates!"

"Which was in a very dire situation that resulted from _you_ dueling in the halls, if I'm not mistaken, Harry," Sirius reminded him quietly. "She'd never have revealed _that_ particular skill otherwise."

"That's exactly my point, Sirius! She never even would have told me if that hadn't have happened!"

Sirius held up a hand. "Tell me something. Do _you_ go around telling people that you speak Parseltongue?"

"Of course not!" Harry snorted. "It was bad enough in second year when everyone thought I was the Heir of Slytherin because I spoke to that snake during the Dueling Cl-- …Oh!" He had the grace to look abashed. "Okay, I see what you are saying." His eyes rested on the stone of the hearth. "I can see why she might not tell me _that_, but all the other stuff, and the Slytherin thing--"

Sirius cut him off. "What you need to know about your godmother, Harry, is she's a person who has had to hold many things close to the vest all her life." He heaved a sigh. "Even people she trusted, her mother and Dumbledore, instructed her to keep certain things private; her age when she entered Hogwarts, for example. You could say she was indoctrinated in the need to be secretive. I'm not saying it was a good thing or bad. I'm just telling you the way things were—the way things are." He ran a hand through his hair. "I know you think she's trying to be cagey, but please understand that with our Rinna, she's behaving the only way she knows how."

Sirius watched as Harry silently contemplated his words. "Think about this, Harry. After all the painstaking work the both of you have put into forging a relationship, do you honestly think that she would _consciously_ risk losing your trust, or your affection?"

Harry creased his brows. He hadn't considered that. When he thought about it (and his heart began to beat a little faster at this) it suddenly seemed obvious that she cared about him—maybe even loved him?—too much to deliberately damage their relationship. He shook his head ruefully. He'd been so angry at Rinna that he hadn't stopped to consider _why_ she might not have told him… well, told him any of the things he'd discovered. What Sirius said made sense… and yet, it piqued his curiosity about his godmother even more.

"Why is she like that, Sirius? What happened to her?"

"It's not my story to tell," he replied quietly. "I've already given you hints about her life, but the rest—Rinna will have to tell you when she is ready."

A frown of concentration flitted across his face as Harry fought to remember what Sirius had told him about Rinna. A chill crept up his spine as a horrifying possibility occurred to him. "Her father… her father was a Death Eater, wasn't he?" His words came out slowly as he turned over the idea in his mind. "And he's still alive?"

Sirius' head came up sharply as he pierced Harry with his gaze. "Everyone keeps secrets, Harry," he remarked pointedly. "I'm sure you know this first-hand. Just never doubt that Rinna loves you." His eyes softened a bit in the green glow of the fire. "I think she was a bit hurt that you were so upset about the Slytherin thing; that you'd let that override everything else you know about her."

The boy's heart panged at his godfather's soft admonishment. "She said I was intolerant of all things Slytherin," he mumbled.

Sirius nodded. "For what it's worth, I used to feel the same way myself."

"And then you met Rinna?" Harry cocked his head in curiosity.

"Oh, I still felt the same way." The older wizard chuckled. "But _then_ she started to grow on me." Sirius smirked. "And finally, one night I kissed her…and my paradigm shifted."

Harry grinned at this. "Is that the old-fashioned way of saying she rocked your world?" he asked cheekily.

"Is this any way to talk to your incredibly wise godfather?" Sirius growled. Harry laughed. "And as to her being in Slytherin, I don't know how you missed the clues!" His voice took on a teasing tone. "That gown she wore to the Yule Ball should have been a dead giveaway!"

Malfoy's words rushed back to Harry: _If Slytherin-green weren't already my favorite color…_ He closed his eyes in chagrin at the irony that he'd spent a good portion of the evening trying to convince himself that she wasn't wearing Slytherin colors. His eyes flew open as another thought occurred to him. "Hang on! How do _you_ know what she was wearing that night?" he asked suspiciously. His eyes widened. "You were here?"

Sirius chuckled smugly. "Please, Harry. Rinna and I mastered the art of the furtive rendezvous as teenagers, you know. We really had no choice at the beginning."

"She mentioned that you had to sneak around." He grimaced. "That sucks."

"Looking back, it was easier then. At least we were in the same place. Now though…" A glum expression replaced Sirius' smirk. Seeing it made Harry feel rather dejected.

"I'm sorry." After a few moments silence, Harry shook off his melancholy. It struck him that Sirius hadn't been sad only because he was missing his fiancée. He'd been troubled that Harry and Rinna were on the outs, too. Harry hated to see Sirius upset. "Look, Sirius. I- I'm going to talk to her, apologize for being a prat about the whole thing."

"Good man." His godfather looked pleased. "Well, it's very late, Harry. I should let you get some sleep." He cocked his eyebrow at the boy. "This was a pretty successful man-to-man talk, eh?"

Harry laughed. "You did a good job, Godfather!" He got up from his knees. "Bye, Sirius."

"Goodnight. Oh, and Harry? Would you deliver a message for me?" Harry bent back down to the fire and bobbed his head. "When you talk to Rinna, will you tell her I said…well… just tell her I miss her."

Harry nodded gravely. "I will."

* * *

The next morning, Harry overslept and missed breakfast, so it was not until the mid-morning break in classes that he was able to tell Ron and Hermione about his conversation with Sirius. "The Bubble-Head Charm just might do the trick, Harry!" Hermione said excitedly. "Of course, we'll have to do more research on it, but we still have time." 

Both boys snickered and rolled their eyes affectionately at their friend before Harry recounted the rest of his meeting with his godfather. Then he ate the muffins Ron had saved for him as they digested all he told them.

"If we had been sorted into different Houses, what do you think would have happened? Would we still have been friends, I mean?" Hermione asked quietly.

Ron shrugged. "I'd like to think so. 'Sides, the only person who might've been sorted elsewhere is you, to Ravenclaw; Harry and I'd still be Gryffindors. Lots of Eagles and Lions are friends. It wouldn't be something remarkable like Harry's mum and Prof—er, the G.M. being mates." He snorted. "It's not like any of us would have been sorted to Slytherin anyway."

Harry became very quiet and made sure he did not look at either of them. He shoved the rest of the muffin in his mouth and chewed slowly.

Ron turned to him. "So, are you going to go see her after classes, then?" Harry nodded, and swallowed his late breakfast. "How are you going to approach her? You need to work on a strategy; are you going to make an appointment with her, y'know, give her some advanced warning, or just go see her after the bell?"

"Well, I can't just barge into her office--"

"Right, because you've done that before, and we all know how well that turned out." Ron smirked.

Harry scowled. "Thank you, Ron."

The red-head shrugged. "I'm just saying, I think you should come up with a likely reason for needing to go see her, mate. It'll make things less uncomfortable."

Harry thought about the suggestion. "Yeah, maybe. I'll see if I can come up with something."

"We should go with him, Ron," Hermione stated.

He scowled. "He's a big boy, Hermione. He doesn't need us to hold his hand, does he?"

She frowned disapprovingly. "I meant, Ronald, that we probably owe her an apology, too."

"Oh." Ron scratched the back of his head, abashed. "Uh, yeah. I reckon you're right."

Harry felt a little better. "Yeah, that'd be great. At least I won't feel like the only complete tosser, having to apologize for being a prat." He gave his friends a weak smile.

Hermione smacked him lightly on the arm. "Charming."

"What are friends for?" Ron added brightly.

----- -----

Rinna walked distractedly toward her classroom office. She'd just spent her free period checking on her potions project; it was completely bollixed. Of course, she wasn't entirely surprised, given how preoccupied and upset she'd been, but the setback still irritated her. She scowled. She'd been so close to getting it, she was sure. "Damn it all to buggering hell!" she swore as she pushed the classroom door open…

…To find three pairs of startled eyes gawping at her. Her godson and his friends were apparently waiting for office hours. _Just brilliant! First time he's approached me in days and I'm cursing like a Muggle sailor!_ She struggled to remove the scowl from her face and school her expression to polite inquiry.

"Hullo" she said. "What can I do for you three?"

Harry swallowed, fervently hoping that she hadn't been reacting to the sight of _him_. "Uh, I was hoping… that is…"

"Harry has an extra credit project he wanted to ask your help with," Hermione supplied helpfully. "Right, Harry?"

"Is that so?" Rinna asked coolly.

Why did she sound so, so _professional_? Harry couldn't find a trace of her Godmother persona at all. _Sirius was right; I really must've hurt her feelings. _"Uh, yeah. I need to learn how to do the Bubble-Head Charm and--"

"Why don't you all come in my office," Rinna interrupted brusquely. She needed a moment to collect her thoughts. Harry had just thrown her into even more of a predicament; she realized he was asking for help for his next task. He'd given her the perfect excuse to "ignore" the rules, but she couldn't help be disappointed that he was acting as if nothing was amiss between them.

She went to her desk and sat down, indicating they should take seats. She closed and soundproofed the door again. "Were you given this assignment by Professor Flitwick?" she asked.

He fidgeted. "Well…" He hesitated, for some reason not wanting to lie to his godmother.

"Harry," she sighed, "You know that I'm not permitted to help you with the Triwizard Tournament." He nodded unhappily. "I wish that weren't the case, because I really would like to help." Her tone still held no warmth.

Harry's shoulders slumped. The detached woman he'd first met was back, and he only had himself to blame. He'd blown it again, he realized. It had been a mistake thinking that asking her for something would ease the tension between them. Well, he'd told Sirius he was going to apologize, so he probably should just get on with it before he buggered this up more.

"Look." Harry squirmed in his seat, then took a deep breath. He focused on some books on her shelves. "I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for barging into your office last week. And for yelling at you like I did. And for swearing."

"I see." Her words were clipped. "Is that the reason you were waiting for me, then?" Harry nodded. "Well, I appreciate you coming by to tell me this, Harry." Her voice still sounded horribly professor-like to Harry's ears. She gathered some parchments into a stack. "If that is all, I will see you at--"

Harry's head jerked. "No, wait!" He bit his lip. Rinna looked at him, the picture of courteous interest. "That's not all. I, uh…" He stopped and took another breath to collect himself. "The thing is, when I talked to Sirius last night—well, he seemed miserable without you. He told me to tell you he misses you." He saw his godmother's face soften.

Rinna should have realized that Harry would inevitably unravel her carefully woven detachment; he'd pulled out the Sirius trump card and won the hand.

Encouraged, he went on, "He also told me about how you two had to sneak around at school. Only he said it was easier then than now because at least you were both in the same place--"

Rinna shook her head emphatically. "Proximity notwithstanding, it never was easy, carrying on a secret relationship," she said quietly. "There was a group of people who would have objected much more to our being sweethearts than even to me and Lily being friends. We had to be so very careful, and it was stressful and nerve-wracking." _It was also rather thrilling, to be honest, Rinna girl. Best not say that out loud, though. But at least back then the consequences for getting caught wouldn't have been as dire as now_. "And now… I worry for him all the time, wondering if he'll be seen, if he'll be caught. Wondering if the Dementors will…" She couldn't continue.

Harry couldn't meet her eyes; her words had struck him in the gut. She and Sirius were once again forced into clandestine meetings, furtive rendezvous and surreptitious communications in order to resume their relationship. And who knew what sort of trickery they'd have to use to get married? He couldn't help but rage at the unfairness of it. _And it was back then, too. They should have been able to walk around holding hands and making googly eyes at each other instead of sneaking around._ "It's not fair that you and he had to hide your relationship at school, just because some people were so intolerant." He scraped his gaze off the floor and lifted it to hers. "I'm sorry."

Rinna saw the sincerity in his verdant eyes filling in where his oblique apology for his narrow-mindedness did not. An invisible tether locked their gazes together for a long moment. The tension around her eyes and mouth lessened.

And then, to Harry's utter amazement, her lips twitched into an irreverent grin. "You shouldn't be," she said amusedly. "I firmly believe that's what brought your mum and dad together."

Harry looked completely confused, Hermione knit her brows together and Ron, speaking for the first time, said lamely, "Come again?"

Rinna laughed. "You see, Lily and James spent so much time scheming ways to cover for the two of us—cooking up excuses for our sudden disappearances or lateness to class… redirecting boys or girls who were vying for our affections… orchestrating little rendezvous at Hogsmeade… the list goes on—but anyway, they spent so much time together as allies in our worthy cause that they ended up falling head over heels for each other."

Harry absorbed this information and then grinned. "I suppose," he said slowly, "you could say that I owe my existence to you and Sirius, then."

She grinned back. "Exactly. So I expect a _two_ kilo box of Honeydukes Finest Dark Chocolates for Christmas next year, mister!" she teased.

Everyone laughed and the strain in the atmosphere eased finally. Harry's heart lightened; he knew he'd been forgiven.

But the smile on Harry's face soon slipped and became a pensive frown instead. He voiced the question that had plagued him for the past week. "Rinna, if tension was that high between Gryffindor and Slytherin, how did you and my mum become friends to begin with?"

"Your mum, Harry, was special. She was one of those sorts that everyone likes; she made friends easily and genuinely cared about others. And she'd already made friendships in Slytherin before I ever came along." Rinna noted the surprise on Harry's face. "Oh yes, I wasn't her first." She smiled. "But something just _clicked_ with us. We weren't just casual friends; we became thick as thieves, nearly inseparable. And we weren't subtle; we paraded the relationship in front of the whole school. Not intentionally, mind you; we just couldn't help it. So _our_ friendship, as public and close as it was, stirred up far more ire than any of the others."

Hermione wondered, "But if things were so bad, like you told us the other day, why did you and Lily _stay_ friends? Why didn't you just give up?"

Rinna's eyes grew unfocused, her smile dreamy. "Because we were two stubborn red-heads who didn't give a grindylow's arse what anyone else thought," she replied. "Harry's mother and I were kindred spirits, we were so similar in many ways. We used to joke that we were twins, separated at birth." She laughed softly. "We couldn't fathom the idea of not being friends with the other. We made each other better." She refocused her gaze on Harry. "Simply put, we needed each other, Lily and I. Like the earth needs sunshine. Nothing could break that bond."

A contemplative silence filled the room. Rinna smiled fondly at them. "You three know what I mean; you feel it, too," she observed softly.

"Yeah." Ron bobbed his head vigorously. Harry nodded, too, and Hermione smiled.

Rinna let out a long breath and looked significantly at Hermione. "I don't suppose you have the same extra-credit assignment that Harry does, do you, Hermione?" She watched the girl's brows come together in confusion before her eyes widened in comprehension. Rinna jotted something on a scrap of parchment and handed it to her. "Because if you _did_, this book in the library would help you learn more about the Bubble-Head Charm, and if you needed practical help, you could come see me."

A sly grin curved Hermione's lips. "Yes, I think that would be very helpful. Thank you."

"And, of course, you lads would be more than welcome to watch her practice with me." Rinna eyed Harry and Ron pointedly.

"Huh?" Ron asked, "Why would Hermione need to learn the—oh!" He grinned craftily. "Yeah, I think Harry and I would _really_ enjoy watching her practice, wouldn't you say, mate?" He elbowed his friend.

Harry bestowed his high-voltage smile on his godmother. "Brilliant!"

Rinna dramatically placed her hand on her chest. "Occasionally, I am," she stated with mock-humility.

The trio laughed, and got up to leave. Harry tailed his friends, but before he was completely out the door, he stopped, his hand resting on the doorjamb. Rinna heard him tell the others quietly, "You go on. I'll see you in the Great Hall, okay?" He turned and stepped back into the office, but he did not raise his head.

"Rinna," Harry said, keeping his eyes on his shoes, "did you ever think you'd been sorted into the wrong house?"

There was a long silence before her heavy sigh brought his gaze to her face. "Yes… and no. I think it's safe to say that many of my professors wondered why I hadn't been sorted into Ravenclaw. And it was a nice little fantasy to have; that I'd been mis-sorted. Because things just would have been so much easier— you know, with your mum and with Sirius— if I hadn't been in Slytherin." She caught his eyes. "But now that I have the benefit of retrospect, the Sorting Hat, even though it took a long time to make its decision, made no mistake that night in sorting me to Slytherin."

"Why?" he wondered softly.

It was Rinna's turn to drop her gaze. "Secrets, Harry," she whispered. "From the earliest time I can remember, I was forced to keep secrets; 'Don't tell your mother this, don't tell your father that.' And there were… things that happened, experiences that I… I knew I could never disclose. Some things I couldn't reveal for fear of my safety, or the safety of people I loved..." Her voice trailed off sadly.

She lifted her eyes to him again. "The point is, I arrived at Hogwarts at the tender age of ten, so well-versed in the art of being sly, furtive, surreptitious and covert and not to mention cunning, the very things that old Salazar had prized, that it's no wonder what House I ended up in." _Not to mention the factor that lineage played into the equation,_ she thought. Although, really, that didn't always tell true; Sirius was a prime example of that. "No," she stated, answering Harry's original question, "No, I was placed exactly where I should have been."

Not completely satisfied, Harry pressed, "But did you _want_ to be in Slytherin?"

She looked at him strangely. _He is having more difficulty accepting that I was a Serpent than I'd hoped._ "I pictured myself in Ravenclaw, actually. But it doesn't matter what a person _wants_, Harry. The Sorting Hat places him or her in the House they are best suited for."

"But it _does_ matter," Harry contradicted. "Why didn't you just _tell_ the Hat where you wanted to be?"

"Tell it?" Rinna began to feel very unsettled. "You don't _tell_ the Hat where you want to go; it tells you!" Her words came out more sharply than she intended.

"But _**I**_ did." His godmother was looking at him as if he'd sprouted tentacles before her eyes. Feeling flustered, he amended, "Well, not exactly. I told the Hat where I _didn't_ want to go."

"Where you didn't want to go," she echoed in a faint voice. Harry nodded. "And what happened?"

"It put me in Gryffindor instead."

Rinna was stunned silent. A long-standing belief had just been shattered. Wizarding kids were told that the Hat sorted you to the House you should be in. _What if the sorting isn't meant to be some passive ritual? Is that how Sirius ended up in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin? But surely he would have said something…_ She took several deep breaths to calm herself. Her brain didn't take the hint. _The Hat took a long time with me. What if it was waiting for some indication from me, even a subconscious one? Was it in my power to go to another House? I was sure my family lines would automatically place me in Slytherin… _She shook her head to clear her desultory thoughts. She was almost successful, until a seditious little tendril emerged from the most closely guarded recesses of her mind: _Was it in my power to defy my father?_

"NO!" Rinna burst out, startling Harry so badly he jumped. She cast him an embarrassed look. "I'm sorry, Harry. It's just difficult for me to believe." He shrugged, uncomfortable that he had obviously upset her again. She peered at him intently. "Whatever gave you the idea to _tell_ the Hat that you didn't want to go…" she trailed off. Her face turned mordant. "I'll bet I can guess which House it was you didn't want to go to," she said sardonically.

Harry looked abashed, but said defensively, "I'd heard that Slytherin House produced the most Dark Wizards. And I'd had a few encounters with Malfoy. I just knew I didn't want to be there."

She sighed. "It is true, of course, that many Slytherin House alumni went on to, uh, darker leanings." She ran her fingers over her mouth in thought. "And you just _told_ the Hat…" She shook her head in wonder.

"I didn't know I wasn't supposed to!" he protested.

"Which is precisely the conundrum, Harry. Does the Hat take personal preferences into consideration? Should we tell it what we want? Does that change the magic in some way?" Her mind was decidedly boggled.

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "I dunno. I had no idea what was going to happen that night when they marched us into the Great Hall. I saw the Hat and thought…" he looked sheepish, "I thought we were going to have to pull a rabbit out of it or something."

There were two seconds of silence before Rinna laughed out loud. Harry's chagrin-washed face smiled a little. It _was_ funny, now.

Rinna's laugh turned to an ironic chuckle. "So it seems neither of us knew better. You didn't know enough about the ceremony to _not_ ask, and I knew so much that I didn't even _think_ to ask." She shook her head. "This is going to tumble in my head and keep me awake tonight, I'm afraid."

The room was quiet until Harry dared to ask, "So, then, you still think you weren't put in the wrong--"

Her abrupt hand motion cut him off. "What's done is done. And, quite frankly, you will find that down the road, it really doesn't matter anyway." _At least it didn't matter to me until you brought all this up tonight._ She crossed her arms and regarded him steadily. "I think the question I'm more interested in is: can we get past this, Harry?"

His voice was soft. "I want to."

She nodded. "I do too."

"Right." Harry shuffled his feet. "I've been a git. I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings."

She crossed to him and put a hand on his shoulder, the other tilted his chin up as she caught his eyes. "I'll get over it," she smiled gently, and she pulled him into a hug. Harry wrapped his arms around her in relief. She gave him a brief squeeze and then stepped back and winked at him. "Make sure you eat enough dinner before you help Hermione find that book and start on her Bubble-Head research," she admonished with a wily quirk of her mouth.

Harry smiled. "Right. Well, I'll see you at dinner!" He stepped out into the corridor, shaking his head over how much Rinna had sounded like a mum while still sneakily giving him the assistance he needed for the next Triwizard task without breaking the rules—

He stopped abruptly. His godmother really was brilliant. _And_ sly, and cunning, and all those other things she'd said… _Maybe she really _did_ belong in Slytherin_. And for the first time in over a week, the thought did not bother him at all.

* * *

**A/N: I am not a speaker of French, so I hope I didn't butcher the language too much in this chapter!**

_mon amoureux: _my lover

_Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir.: _(roughly)I want you to go to bed with me tonight.

_Votre reponse, s'il vous plait:_ Your answer, please.

_Oui, mon amour:_ Yes, my love.

**I made it through my "Summer of Insanity" (say it in a **_**Princess Bride-y**_** voice, please) reasonably intact, and now that school has started, the insanity has been reduced once again to merely almost-managable madness. So I hope I will be able to update in a more timely manner!**

**I'd love to hear what you thought of this chapter. Heck, I'd love to hear if anyone is even reading this anymore or if you all gave me up for lost! So, you know what to do, dearest reader; kindly review and let me know I am forgiven (or if I'm not!) for taking so long to update. Thanks!**

21


	25. Submerge

**A New Definition of Family**

**Chapter 25: Submerge**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe. Any characters, places, situations, ideas, charms and spells (or anything else) that you don't find in her fabulous books, well, they belong to me.**

* * *

"It's no good, Harry." Hermione looked at the stopwatch in frustration as Harry and Ron broke the Bubble-Head Charm, gasping a little. "Twenty minutes is the best any of us has done." She cast Ron a worried look.

"You'll just have to come up for air is all." Ron tried to sound heartening.

"Except we don't know if Harry will even be in a position to do that!"

Harry looked around the empty D.A.D.A. classroom where Rinna had allowed them to practice for the last two weeks. She had stayed at first, demonstrating and practicing right along with them, working on strategies to increase the sustainability of the charm. But after a few days she'd regretfully told them she had something she was working on for Dumbledore that she really could not put off longer, and had left them to it.

"_I don't have any other hints to give you three; I've taught you everything I can about it. Now you have to practice and see if you can modify it to your own magic."_

_Hermione tried to protest._

"_Listen," Rinna said, "You have to remember that it is like any other skill. Practice can get you so far, but if you don't have the innate ability to go along with it—" _

_Harry made a sound of objection. She turned to him. "Take for example, Harry, a distance runner. There are a few people who can run a 5K in fifteen minutes. That is amazingly fast!" She paused as Hermione explained to Ron what a 5K was. "However, I will never be able to run five kilometers in less than twenty-five minutes; even when I was in my best shape, I couldn't. I have neither the body type nor the inborn ability to run any faster, no matter how much I train. There is a barrier I cannot push past." She studied each of the students in turn. "Do you see what I'm saying?"_

Harry sighed. "Guys, I think we need to come up with a Plan B."

* * *

"Thank you, Ludo, for that thorough explanation of all the Second Task will entail," Albus Dumbledore said smoothly.

It was the evening of the twenty-third of February, and the entire staff of Hogwarts and the visiting schools was gathered in the staff room. Most were still absorbing the details that had just been set forth, but Dumbledore noted one teacher in particular was glowering quite fiercely. He smiled to himself, recalling Ludo Bagman's bafflement over Professor Dunlevy's continued disapproval of the Triwizard Tournament. He cleared his throat.

"Madam Pomfrey will, naturally, be on hand to administer restorative potions to the participants and the 'hostages,'" he paused at Rinna's derisive snort, "and the merfolk have agreed to assist if any of our champions run into trouble. However…" His countenance became quite serious. "I feel that it is important that we have a human in the water as well, because the merpeople, not being terribly familiar with human beings, may not recognize signs of distress right away."

Several people nodded in agreement.

"So," Ludo Bagman said brightly as he clapped his hands together, "which of you can swim?"

Much discussion took place all at once, but it soon came to light that there were few in the room who could be considered adequate swimmers.

Professor Dunlevy was completely and thoroughly incensed and was too busy wallowing in her fury to take part in the current debate. The Ministry had gone too far! The risks were enormous: hypothermia, attacks by squid or grindylows or Merlin knew what, not to mention drowning! And how was Harry to manage? He wouldn't be able to come up to the surface for air several times if he was to go to the bottom of the lake, would he? Just how deep was the lake, anyway? Fear for her godson gripped her heart and made her even more irascible. She was only dimly aware that Dumbledore had stopped next to her chair and placed a hand on her shoulder.

The scowl on the redheaded woman's face made Bagman take an involuntary step backward. Dumbledore did not appear to notice it. "I seem to recall, Arinna," he noted in a casual voice, "a dare that once inspired you to swim across the lake one June." His lips twitched slightly as he added, "That escapade resulted in one of the more interesting group detentions in Hogwarts history if memory serves me right."

Rinna looked up at him incredulously. "You can't be serious."

"We need someone in the water," he said gently.

"That was swimming on the surface, not diving to the depths, Albus! And it was almost twenty years ago."

Blue eyes bore into her angry ones. "You are, arguably, the person with the most athletic prowess in the room, Arinna."

He was resorting to flattery, she knew, and it irritated her more. "I can't stay under water for more than twenty minutes," she snapped. _And only that long thanks to practicing with the kids_. "The Bubble-Head Charm is not one of my strongest skills."

"I may be of some assistance in regards to that minor obstacle," a smooth voice insinuated itself into the conversation. Severus Snape leaned forward to capture the Headmaster's attention, and Rinna was convinced she saw a smarmy, smug expression on his face in reaction to her admission of weakness. The git.

At Dumbedore's nod, Snape continued, "I have some gillyweed in my stores; enough to be adequate for your needs, I'm sure." He turned to Rinna. "I believe that answers all your objections, does it not?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Why the hell don't _you_ do it, then?"

His black eyes snapped; he did not like admitting to weakness any more than she did. "I cannot swim more than a few feet. I sink like a stone."

Rinna glared daggers at him. "I will certainly file that tidbit away for future reference," she hissed quietly for his ears only. She stood up and slapped her hands on the table. "Fine! I will be in the water for this thrice-cursed, idiot-inspired misadventure." She turned on her heel and stalked like a wet cat from the room, slamming the door behind her. Snape's eyes followed her, a slight smirk touching his lips as he observed her discomfiture.

"That went well, wouldn't you say?" Dumbledore smiled to a wide-eyed Ludo Bagman.

* * *

Eight-thirty the next morning found Rinna pacing the far shore of the lake where the stands from the first task had been set up. She hadn't slept a wink, but professionalism had regained the upper hand; her face bore a veneer of calm detachment. After her embarrassingly immature display of temper last night, she determined she would be nothing but calm, cool and collected this morning.

It was just as well she had made this resolution because it wasn't long before she saw Dumbledore and Snape approaching. "Arinna, my dear, Severus has informed me of a rather unfortunate situation."

"It would appear that there is no longer any gillyweed in my stores," Snape informed her with a carefully neutral expression.

"You told me you had enough gillyweed." Snape nodded. Rinna made an exasperated noise. "Really, Severus, I thought you were much more meticulous about keeping inventory of your cupboards."

"I know precisely, to the ounce, every ingredient," he snapped. "The item in question has obviously been pilfered!"

"You don't have any at all?" Rinna was appalled as the news sunk in.

"That is what I have been saying," was the short reply.

She looked at him. "Well, now what am I going to do?"

Snape sneered at her. "I hope you have brushed up on the Bubble-Head Charm, Dunlevy. I have no other suggestions." He turned and walked away.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I'm sure you will be fine, Arinna. Just come up for air whenever you need to."

Rinna watched as the Headmaster returned to the gold-draped judges' table. She shook her head. The problem with the Triwizard Tournament, she decided sourly, was: it wasn't being run by women.

By nine-fifteen, three of the four champions were on the shore, preparing in various ways for the task ahead. Rinna had transfigured her shoes into diving fins and was now pacing and slapping them against her thighs as she craned her head to see if she could spot her godson making his way around the lake.

By nine-twenty she was more than a little concerned. After all, neither Hermione nor Ron had been available to wake him, as both were at the bottom of the lake as hostages.

At nine-twenty-six, she was striding purposefully toward the gilded judges' table when she heard someone shout, "There he is!" Sure enough, a dark-haired figure was sprinting pell-mell along the shore. Rinna breathed a sigh of relief, and started casting the warming charms she would need in the water. While all eyes were on Harry as he was doubled over, catching his breath, she quietly waded into the water and slipped on her fins. As Bagman lined the champions along the shore, she cast the charm she was quite heartily tired of, and slipped below the surface to wait.

The trill of the starting whistle pierced the morning air at nine-thirty-one. Rinna silently cast her final spell, one to enhance auditory faculties, so as to allow her better hearing under water. She watched the students wade in and cast their various charms; Fleur and Cedric used the Bubble-Head Charm, and Viktor transfigured himself into a shark—well, the upper half of him anyway. Although incomplete, the transfiguration appeared to be effective. The three older champions swam away.

Only Harry's legs were visible, standing still up to the knees in the cold water. What was he waiting for? Suddenly, he flopped gracelessly face forward into the water, and began to kick. His feet had become strangely longer, resembling Rinna's transfigured diving fins. He turned around once to stare at them, and his now webbed hands before haring off after the others at more-than-human speed.

Rinna snorted; the mysterious disappearance of the gillyweed had been solved.

-- --

Rinna estimated that roughly thirty minutes had passed. She'd already surfaced once and fervently hoped that all would go well so once more was all she'd need before the task was over. She'd spent the time swimming from the spot on the lake bottom where the hostages were held (to her pleasant surprise, one of the merfolk, a young male, had led her there just after the task had started) to the water weed beds where she'd seen the grindylows, and back.

She had seen one student-sized shape swimming in the right direction, dark and indistinct in the murky water, and was expecting to see more when she heard odd sounds. Although not accustomed to listening in the water, she was sure something was wrong and swiveled her head to determine what direction the sounds were coming from. She began to swim quickly as she could toward the weed beds.

Visibility became worse, so she was practically on top of the scene of the trouble before she even noticed it. Fleur Delacour's long blonde hair had been pulled from its plait as she struggled with the grindylows; it was flashing pale green in the murky light of the lake as the girl twisted and thrashed in her attempts to stun and strike the attacking creatures. Never had Rinna seen so many of the water demons in one place, nor so riled. She pulled her wand from the sheath on her forearm and cast several spells before realizing the viscosity of the water was distorting the magic and would force her to move closer. The grindylows sensed a new presence and several turned to investigate, their wicked teeth flashing.

Rinna cursed mentally, and threw more spells even as she kicked her finned feet, before locking gazes with Fleur. There was panic now in Fleur's eyes and Rinna knew why; her struggle against the water demons was rapidly using her oxygen supply. And Rinna was now in exactly the same situation. She'd been under the water at least ten minutes already, perhaps more… Several grindylows nipped at her legs while others grabbed her arms. She needed to end this, _now_.

She absently kicked at the creatures near her legs as she mentally rehearsed the wand movement needed; it had been a long time since she'd cast a stunning spell as strong as this one and how much the water would hinder it, she didn't know. Still, she needed to hit all the demons at once, even if it meant knocking the French champion out as well. "_Attonitus_!" A large yellowish-orange jet of water and light erupted from her wand. She was flipped arse over heel backward, but when she righted herself, she saw her ploy had worked.

Although she was unconscious, the Bubble-Head Charm around Fleur's head remained, to Rinna's relief. She grasped the limp form of the girl and kicked swiftly upward. Rinna's lungs were burning; she had no time to waste. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see several merfolk flanking her as she kicked and pulled with her free arm. _Now they show up_, she thought sourly.

She broke the surface, sucking air deep into her chest. The blonde was looking pale—Rinna needed to cancel the spell, quickly. "_Finite Incantatum_." It did not work. She repeated it, this time pointing her wand directly at Fleur's face and focusing her power on breaking the protection the French witch had woven into her charm. The girl began spluttering and gasping as Rinna kept her afloat.

Fleur's luminous eyes were watering when she turned to look at Rinna. "My sister. Eet is my sister that 'as been taken," she rasped, coughing. "I must save 'er!"

Rinna schooled her voice to a calm, impassive tone. "_Non_. The merpeople and I will retrieve her. No harm will come to her, I promise." The girl seemed to calm a little. "Rest now, and I will help you to shore."

The blonde nodded once and took several deep breaths. "I can swim myself," she said with quiet dignity.

"Fine," Rinna agreed, "but I will swim with you to be sure you get back without mishap."

-- --

Rinna was speeding back to the dwelling of the merfolk and was nearly there when the young merman swam up to her and indicated she should once again turn around and follow him.

Up ahead she saw many merfolk swimming, and she mustered more speed to catch up. She could just make out the shadow they were following, but it looked oddly misshapen. She moved closer, her legs burning from the effort of kicking with the long fins. It was Harry! Pulling two people? She stopped swimming, stunned. Ron's hair was a dull brown in the murky green lake-light, and the other body, smaller, had pale hair streaming back. She took a moment to allow pride to swell inside her before pumping her legs in an effort to keep the group in sight.

She broke the surface and was deafened by the sound of the roaring crowd. Belatedly she cancelled the auditory enhancement spell and observed Cedric and Viktor on the shore with Cho and Hermione, all wrapped in blankets. Percy Weasley was splashing into the water to help his brother wade in, and Fleur was pulling away from her headmistress to rush to her sister.

Everyone was safe.

She wanted to help Harry out of the lake, but found her limbs were quite leaden. She was kneeling chest-deep in the water, her legs pointedly refusing to support her weight. On the periphery of her vision, she could see several concerned faces with wild green hair. "I'm alright," she tried to say, but it came out faintly. She felt a tug on her legs and almost fell; she turned to see her young man pulling the fins from her feet. He grinned and handed them to her before tilting his head in a small bow. "Thank you," she rasped, and the merfolk left her.

She shifted her eyes to the shore where Dumbledore was crouched at the edge of the water, in earnest screechy conversation with the merchieftainess. However, the sound of someone wading toward her arrested her attention.

"Take my hand, Arinna."

Rinna looked up into the dark, sardonic eyes of the Potions Professor. He grasped her forearm and pulled her to her feet. His hand on her elbow steadied her as she stumbled to dry land. "Thanks," Rinna huffed out weakly. She smiled. "I'm surprised you chanced it, since I know your secret of how well you swim."

"Yes, well," he said dryly, "given that we were in less-than-waist-high water, I felt the risk was negligible." He conjured a blanket and draped it carelessly about her shoulders.

"Thank you, Severus." She pulled it tightly around her. He seemed about to reply, but she gestured abruptly for quiet; Dumbledore and the judges had just come out of the hurried consultation prompted by the merchieftainess' report. As Ludo Bagman's magically enhanced voice announced the scores, Rinna did the mental math and realized that Harry was tied for first place with Cedric Diggory. She grinned. Damn, she was proud of that kid!

She turned to her companion and her enthusiasm seemed to curdle under the regard of his sour face. "I suppose you are going to tell me I shouldn't give Potter detention." Snape's narrow-eyed glare clearly indicated his disgruntlement.

Rinna stared at him dumbly. "Why on earth would you give him a detention?" she wondered.

"For raiding my stores, that's why!" he snapped. "Where else would he have obtained gillyweed?"

"You don't know that for certain—" She conveniently ignored the fact that she had jumped to that conclusion herself.

He grasped her elbow again, more tightly this time. "You've gone soft—"

She yanked her arm from his grip. "I have not gone soft!" she hissed hotly. Then she lowered her tone. "He's Lily's son, Severus." She saw him flinch ever so slightly. "I can't help but care about—"

He cut her off, danger honing the edge of his words. "That boy is _James Potter's_ son, through and through!" He turned abruptly and left her standing on the pebbly beach, the swirl of his black robes hampered somewhat by the damp hem.

-- --

It wasn't until he'd climbed the stone steps into the castle that Harry realized his godmother was among the blanket-clad people being shepherded by Madam Pomfrey. She had cuts all over her arms and legs, and a few on her face, as Fleur had. He turned to Ron. "What was Ri—I mean, what was the G.M. doing in the water?"

Ron glanced back and shrugged. "I dunno." They slowed to get closer to her, but Madam Pomfrey was chivvying the lot of them into the hospital wing, insisting on treatments for cuts and final doses of Pepper-Up Potion for all.

The medi-witch rounded on the redhead as she passed through the infirmary doors. "Why on earth are you still wet, Arinna?"

Rinna scowled. "Well, it didn't seem sporting, casting a drying charm when none of them," she indicated the damp students with her chin, "are allowed to use magic to get comfortable."

Pomfrey snorted as she made her way to a storage cabinet. "Always did have a Lion-ish streak in you, despite wearing the green," she said, then added softly so the boys had to strain to hear it, "You look exhausted; did you even sleep last night? Here." She handed Rinna a stoppered bottle. "Take this and go to your lover. Have him treat your cuts. I'm giving you medical leave for the entire weekend."

"What makes you think—"

The older woman rolled her eyes. "Oh please. I don't understand why it's such a secret, but if you and your rock-star paramour are not ready to go public, well that's your business. And don't try to tell me it's not serious."

Rinna's breath caught. She knew she was being ridiculous—Madame Pomfrey obviously had no idea who her real lover was—but she still couldn't help hearing "don't try to tell me it's not _Sirius_."

Pomfrey, of course, misinterpreted her small gasp. Her eyes cut to the ruby ring on Rinna's right hand, held in place with a sticking charm while in the lake. "Trinkets like _that_ aren't bestowed by a mere weekend fling."

Rinna let out a rueful chuckle. "It's a good thing you are not a gossip, Poppy." She held up the bottle. "Thank you."

"And when I say medical leave for the entire weekend, I mean starting _now_. No locking yourself up in the dungeons for a few hours first!" Poppy Pomfrey's stern look would have made even Hagrid quail.

Rinna glanced at her sharply. "You don't miss a trick, do you?" But Madam Pomfrey was already striding over to her other charges.

Rinna looked around and saw Harry and Ron, trying to act like they hadn't heard a thing. "Good show, Harry," she said quietly. "I'm very proud of you."

"What were you doing in the lake?" Harry wondered. "And what was she talking about, locking yourself in the dungeons?"

"I was playing lifeguard," she replied. "Listen, I really should go before she comes back and makes me swallow some noxious-tasting potion. We'll talk Sunday after dinner, yeah? And be sure to celebrate this weekend, Harry. You deserve it."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure he does," Ron assured her.

"Good man." She smiled at them and left the infirmary.

Harry and Ron shuffled forward at Madam Pomfrey's imperiously beckoning hand. "Ron," Harry whispered, "did you notice? She didn't answer my question about the dungeons."

"Blimey. You're right."

Harry gave a long-suffering sigh. "Typical," he muttered as he accepted the mug of Pepper-Up and submitted to the Hogwarts medi-witch's ministrations to his cuts and bruises.

* * *

Sirius and Remus registered the subtle change in the wards almost simultaneously as Remus pushed open the door to let his Animagus friend in. "Rinna's home," Remus noted in surprise. Sirius gave a yap and cocked his head, one ear lifting slightly to listen, before tossing a doggy grin over his shoulder and bounding down the hallway. Remus chuckled.

Sirius stepped quietly into the bedroom, listening and testing the air with his canine-enhanced senses. He smelled shampoo and soap, and heard the deep even breathing of slumber. Rinna was lying prone diagonally across the bed, wrapped in a bath towel. He wasn't really conscious of changing back to his human form until he felt the frown crease his face at the sight of the lacerations on her arms and the backs of her legs. Unease rippled through him. _What could have possibly gone wrong today that she'd look like this? Is Harry all right?_

He perched on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers softly through her still-damp hair until he felt her stir. "Hey, Ruby," he said softly. "What in the hell happened to you?"

She opened the eye on the side of her face that wasn't pressed into the pillow and mumbled, "Grindylows."

"Is Harry—" Apprehension made him hoarse.

"S'okay," she said into the pillow before groaning a little and rolling onto her back. She smiled up at him. "He was brilliant, Blackie. Not only did he—"

Sirius held up his hand to forestall the tale. "Harry's not hurt?" he clarified.

"No. A few scratches. That's all."

He gently stroked her arm. "Like this?" His expression indicated he thought the number of cuts on her arm did not fall into the category of _a few_.

She shook her head. "Not as bad as all this. He's fine."

His fingers traced their way up to her chin and cheek. "Are you all right?" His voice was deep with concern.

She reached up and fisted her hand in his shirt. Sirius found himself pulled firmly to her lips, and he couldn't help but grin as he returned the kiss. "I am now," she whispered before tugging him to her mouth again.

-- --

Fresh from a shower and ready for work, Remus entered the kitchen. The sight of the forearms and the one crossed leg poking through the split in his titian-haired friend's dressing gown brought him up short. Frowning, he studied the many scratches that had been daubed with a purple tincture. "Grindylows, by the looks of them," he concluded. "How many were there? How did you get away from them? And how did this happen in the first place?"

Rinna put the sandwich she'd been hungrily devouring down on her plate. "There were dozens. I stunned them with the Thunder-strike Spell, which has an interesting effect underwater, I must say. And as for how this all came about, I was just in the middle of telling Sirius…" Rinna returned to the beginning for Remus' benefit, telling both men about the events of the last twenty-four hours as Remus made himself lunch.

Remus shook his head and smiled. "First to get there, but had to make sure all the hostages were safe. He has a chivalrous streak in him, our Harry."

Rinna snorted. "Far more chivalrous than you boys were at that age, to be sure."

Sirius appeared affronted. "I beg to differ! At his age I was a paragon of maturity and a complete gentleman."

Rinna rolled her eyes. "Merlin's knickers, how can you say that with a straight face, Blackie? For your information, at the age of fourteen, you were pulling my braids and putting Peruvian Itching Powder in my seat during Potions—"

"And don't forget that he jinxed your quills to break while you were taking notes," Remus added helpfully.

"Actually, it was Tasmanian Itching Powder," Sirius corrected her with an impish grin. He turned to Remus. "Just what are you smirking about, Moony?"

The werewolf laughed. "Trust Dumbledore to remember that dare at the lake."

Rinna harrumphed. "Dumbledore remembers things when it is most convenient for him, and least convenient for anyone else," she said sourly.

"But how in Merlin's name did Harry figure out to use gillyweed?" Sirius wondered. "And more to the point, how did he get his hands on some?"

Rinna shrugged. "Dunno. Gillyweed isn't covered until Advanced Herbology, so sixth year at least." She ignored the affectionately mocking _of course you have every syllabus at Hogwarts memorized_ look from her fiancé. "As to how he got it, well… Severus thinks Harry broke into his storerooms. Although how he could have done without being caught, Invisibility Cloak or no, I'm not sure. Severus is always lurking about in the dungeons."

She did not miss Sirius and Remus glancing at each other, nor the looks on their faces. "What?" she demanded.

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at Remus, who nodded imperceptibly, before turning to Rinna. "Harry has the Marauder's Map," he said simply.

"He—what?" Rinna looked amazed. "Sweet Circe, how did _he_ get it? I thought for sure Filch would have burned it or destroyed it somehow. Especially after that botched attempt we made at retrieving it!"

"Happily, Filch did not destroy it," Remus explained, "and as to how Harry came to possess it… well, let's just say that there are members of a new generation that uphold the spirit and custom of the Marauders."

Rinna's eyes narrowed in thought. Then her mouth opened slightly in surprise. "Fred and George?" Remus nodded. "They nicked it from Filch?" Sirius joined Remus in nodding. Rinna snorted. "Well, that took balls."

"Those two have plenty of _that_, as you well know," Sirius pointed out. "And the brains to figure out how to activate it."

"If Harry had the map…" Rinna mused. Then she shook her head. "I'll need to talk with him. He cannot get careless; Severus Snape has it in for that lad."

Sirius growled. "That greasy-haired git had better watch himself…" He trailed off when he saw Rinna's eyebrows lift. "What? Even now, after all you know about that tosser, are you still going to—"

"I have nothing to say, Sirius. I have to work with the man. So please, do not put me in a position where I have to defend him; I don't really want to have to work that hard this weekend." Remus stifled a chuckle at this. She glanced at him, then back to her fiancé. "Besides, I would much rather spend my time doing other…things." Her lips slipped into a sly smile, and her eyebrows twitched suggestively.

Sirius snorted and appeared somewhat mollified as his eyes traced the line of her leg that peeped from between the edges of her dressing gown.

Remus cleared his throat. "Well, look at the time," he noted pointedly. "I'd best leave for work." He shifted his gaze from one to the other. "Play nice, now, kids."

Rinna snickered even as Sirius replied mockingly, "Yes, Mum."

-- --

Rinna finished her sandwich and took her plate to the sink. She turned and found herself facing her lover, who wrapped his arms loosely around her. "I've fed you, and tended your wounds. I think I deserve some of your undivided attention now," he suggested.

"What did you have in mind, Blackie?" she smiled.

His face softened, grew serious. "Honestly? I miss just sitting with you. Talking. Holding hands." He took one of her hands and kissed it. Then his ruffian grin started to take over his face again. "And if that leads to more, well… I think I'd be okay with that."

She laughed, and let him lead her into the living room. "So, where were you lads?" she asked casually as she settled down next to him on the couch. "When I arrived," she clarified.

"Ah. We were out running."

"Running?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Moony and I have been bitten by the fitness bug. We try to go every morning before Remus goes to work. And I have to say, it's a damn good thing that whatever I do in my Animagus form carries over to my human form." He slapped his stomach twice. "Rock solid, or at least getting that way." He grinned. "We are going to be the two most fit misfits in your life, Ruby! You know, I was surprised at how much attention of the feminine variety a bloke can garner when he is out running with his dog. I swear, every bird's head turns as Remus and I go by. If he wasn't so besotted with my chameleon cousin, he could have his choice of fit, health-conscious women…" His voice trailed off as he noticed the odd look on her face. "What is it, love?"

The thought of dozens of people taking notice of Sirius, out in public, morning after morning, made her queasy. She tried to keep her voice neutral, although she wasn't sure she kept out the note of disapproval entirely. "You go out every day?"

"Well yeah." His tone was matter-of-fact.

"Even though you are wanted by both magical and Muggle—" Censure was most definitely evident now.

Sirius was exasperated. "Hell, Rinna. I only leave the house as Snuffles! No one knows I'm an Animagus—well except for a few whom I trust. You make it sound as if I'm waltzing around with a glowing arrow above my head pointing and saying 'Catch me!'"

"Peter knows," she said quietly.

"What?"

"Peter knows you are an Animagus."

His mouth hung open for a few seconds before he snapped it shut. "Well, Wormtail is—"

Rinna shot up from the couch, angry. "Where, Sirius? He's where? Do you know?" She clenched her fists in frustration and began pacing. "He could be anywhere, whispering secrets to anyone!"

Sirius crossed to where she stood, her back to him, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You are forgetting that Peter Pettigrew cannot show himself without revealing the lie of his death. He's no threat—"

Rinna whirled. "Do _not_ underestimate him, Sirius! You did before!" She dropped her head. "We all did," she added sorrowfully.

Sirius wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest for several long moments. "What do you want from me, Rinna?" he murmured finally. "Do you want me to promise to stay here all day and night, like your pet owl in a gilded cage?" There was no rancor in his words.

She pulled away with a start and looked up into his face, horrified to realize that that was exactly what she wanted.

"I spent twelve years locked in a hole carved from the rock," he explained softly. "And while the accommodations you offer are infinitely better than those of Azkaban… You are hardly ever here, and Remus is often gone, too. I start to climb the walls, and what should feel like my home starts to resemble a prison."

Her fingertips on his lips stopped him. Sirius watched a tear slip down her cheek and catch on the corner of her mouth before he brushed it away with his thumb. More took its place.

"I'm sorry." Her words seemed to catch in her throat. "I know it's horribly selfish of me to want you to stay inside all the time, even knowing that you spent so many years in that awful place…I know it makes me appear that I only see you as some precious object to keep hidden in a treasure box." Her fingers were still on his mouth, forestalling any reply he might make. "It's just that… the thought of losing you again—" she gave a shuddering breath and his arms tightened around her, "that thought terrifies me."

He buried his face in her neck. "If I could promise you that you would never lose me, I would."

"But you can't. We both learned a long time ago that there are no guarantees in this life." She brushed her cheek against his. "I would never try to curtail your freedom, Sirius, as much as I'd like to, and as much as I want you to be safe. I don't want you to resent me, or hate this place."

He kissed her. "I don't. I love you, and you've made me feel like this is a home. It's just that…" He looked deeply into her eyes. "I get restless, Rinna. And I don't know how to change that."

Her green gaze roamed across his face, once again learning his features by heart, before she returned to his eyes. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

"Of course."

"And remember what I said, about Peter. Don't get cocky or complacent, Blackie."

He raised his eyebrow. "Me?"

She smacked him lightly on the arm. "Oh, shut it, you."

He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "You are wrong, you know. About there being no guarantees. Because here is one thing I can promise you that will never change: I love you."

Tears welled again. "Merlin help me, but I love you, too."

Sirius began backing up, taking her with him, until he felt the couch press against the backs of his legs. "Shall I declare my love for you in a more—" He paused dramatically to cinch her hips up close to his and leer at her roguishly, "—demonstrative manner?"

She sniffled and smiled. "What happened to sitting, talking and holding hands?"

He sat down and pulled her onto his lap, her knees on each side of his hips. "Now we are sitting." He ran his hands down her arms to her wrists before lifting them up and around his neck. "Now we are holding hands."

She wove her hands into his hair and tilted his mouth up to hers. As he kissed her deeply, his fingertips skimmed the edges of her dressing gown off her shoulders and continued to trace her curves to her waist. Sirius wrapped his hands around each of her hips and hauled her close against him, leaving no doubt in her mind as to how eager he was to prove his affection for her. She released his mouth with a sigh and closed her eyes, tilting her head back as his lips caressed the skin under her jaw, down her neck to her décolleté. "Are we considering this talking, then?" she whispered.

He lifted his head to grin at her, and Rinna mentally kicked herself for giving him a reason to remove his mouth from her breast. "Dunno," he said teasingly. "How well am I communicating my intentions?" His fingers picked up where his lips had left off.

"Brilliantly," Rinna gasped.

"Good." He untied the knot at her waist and slipped his other hand into her dressing gown. "Here is what I propose: I make mad, passionate love to you now, and we talk later."

She shrugged out of the gown, seized the hem of his tee shirt, and pulled it over his head. "That's the best plan you've ever had, Marauder-Boy," she growled.

His lips curved into a smirk against the soft skin of her breast as he resumed his ministrations. "'Bout time you recognized my genius, Ruby." He chuckled when her only reply was to tug at the button of his trousers.

* * *

Hermione wound her way through the quiet castle corridors to the library. On early Sunday mornings she could get quite a bit accomplished when hardly anyone else was around and still meet her friends for breakfast, which was served later than on the other days of the week. She'd started this habit back in second year when she was taking extra classes using a time-turner, and she didn't see any reason to give it up. Especially since Viktor started joining her.

_Viktor._

Hermione had endured no small amount of teasing that she was "the thing Krum would miss most" and she couldn't pinpoint why exactly it bothered her so. After all, she'd suffered far worse from her schoolmates, and usually she was able to shake it off and ignore it. By rote she took out her parchment and quill and ink, then opened her Transfiguration textbook, only to stare at it unseeing.

It had been disconcerting to discover the depth of Viktor's affection for her in such an awkward manner, and this had thrown her into confusion.

She'd spent the past two months since the Yule Ball warding her heart, telling herself not to fall hard for the charming Bulgarian, because, really, this had to be just a fling for him—a flirtation to pass the time while here in Britain. She knew he used his relationship with her to deflect the many, and often inappropriate, offers from countless schoolgirls, and she didn't mind that. She was happy to help make his stay as pleasant as possible, and those hussies could be positively pesky and annoying.

But now… She couldn't tamp down the rogue thoughts that kept suggesting there could be something more to this thing with Viktor. Not anymore. Certainly not since the second task, and if she thought back, there were signs she'd chosen to ignore. In the last couple of months as she'd spent more and more time with the Durmstrang champion, they'd discovered they had many similar interests, and they could talk and laugh for hours, and the kisses had gone from sweet and innocent to involving more tongue and teeth and hands—

She felt a blush creep over her face. Surely Viktor hadn't fallen for her—the bookworm, the—

Was she _really_ the person he would miss most?

The library door opened with a creak to allow in a tall slouching figure. He found her eyes, and gave her a discomfited smile before walking toward the table.

Hermione's heart started flipping erratically against her ribcage. _He asked me to go to Bulgaria with him! To meet his parents! Why would he do that, unless he—oh, Merlin!_

"Herm-own-ninny." He was there, at the table, hands on the back of a chair, requesting permission to join her. Hermione swallowed nervously and nodded. He took the chair next to her and sat, turning to face her. "I haff been thinking—"

"Viktor, I—" she said at the same time. They both laughed uncertainly.

He inclined his head. "You first."

"No. You," she insisted.

Viktor took a deep breath and let it out. "I haff been thinking I have not done good vork explaining to you how I feel about you."

"Oh?" she replied weakly as her heart invited the rest of her organs to join the dance.

His eyes dropped to her open book. "Your reaction at the second task; you vere surprised to find yourself as hostage for me."

She watched his hand nervously playing with her quill. "I- I just didn't expect… the one you'd miss most…"

"Is vat I'm saying, _mila_." He dropped the quill to take her hand instead. "I do not speak English vell. I am sometimes, how you say, ashamed that I cannot find right vords to tell how I feel. I think I vill sound to you like idiot. I let pride keep me from being good _napadnik_—boyfriend—and you become embarrassed at second task—"

"B-boyfriend?"

Viktor smiled ruefully. "You see? You do not effen know I vant to be boyfriend." He shook his head in irritation. "I am failure ven speaking to you."

She tugged his hand so he would look at her. "No! No, you're not a failure, Viktor! It's just that…" She blushed furiously. "This is all so new for me," she whispered. "I've never had a boyfriend before."

He looked at her askance. "Neffer?" She nodded. "Vy not?"

She shrugged and looked away. "I'm not beautiful." Viktor made a noise of protest, but she continued, "I'm a bit too swotty." At his look of confusion she explained, "Nerdy, bookish." It was her turn to fiddle with the quill. "I'm not very outgoing, and I'm bossy, and—" He gently pulled her chin around so he could see her face. She gazed into his dark-hazel eyes and shrugged again. "I- I'm not the kind of girl that boys want for a girlfriend."

She was quite sure her voice hadn't wavered, that no hint of self-pity had come through, but Viktor probed her with his eyes for a long time before he cupped her cheek. "Herm-own-ninny, English boys are idiots. And blind." He leaned forward and kissed her, pressing his lips to one corner of her mouth, then the other, before covering it completely with his. When he pulled away, she was breathless and convinced her heart was staging a breakout right through her sternum.

Viktor took Hermione's hand in his and played awkwardly with her fingers. "I haff confession. I haff never had girlfriend before."

"What?"

"Is true. Ven I vas younger, I haff school, and I haff training for Quidditch. I haff no time for much else. I made Bulgarian team, and vas effen more busy. There is no time to meet nice girl and start relationship." He blushed, and continued to fiddle with her hand. "Many girls, many vomen, they vant to meet me and give me attention. I am like trophy to them. They don't vant to know _me_, they vant only the fame. Did I say this right?"

Hermione squeezed his fingers. "I understand what you are saying."

"Then I meet you, _mila_. And you ask me qvestions, and you listen to my answers. You treat me like normal boy, and I say to myself, 'Here is girl who is kind. Here is girl who doesn't just vant to say she—vat is vord?— bagged Viktor Krum.'"

She knew he wasn't deliberately trying to be vulgar, but Hermione blushed anyway.

He continued, "And now I haff made mess of it by not telling you that I vant to be boyfriend to you."

"No," she protested. "You haven't made a mess of things. I was just surprised, that's all. You see, I didn't want to get too… involved if this wasn't anything serious for you." Her cheeks flamed even more. "I think— I think I could fall head over heels for you, if I let myself, but—"

Viktor tenderly framed her face with his hands. "Falling head over heels is good, yes?" He smiled hopefully.

She smiled back. "It is if the other person is falling with you."

He leaned his forehead against hers; his lips were very close, and his voice husky when he replied, "Herm-own-ninny, I haff been falling since the Yule Ball."

"Me, too." Her response was muffled by the touch of his lips to hers in a fiercely possessive yet incredibly tender kiss—but Viktor understood her perfectly.

* * *

Rinna caught Harry's eye as the student body of Hogwarts exited the Great Hall after dinner Sunday night. She gave an almost imperceptible jerk of her chin, indicating he should meet her in her office. He smiled acquiescence and leaned over to Ron to let him know the change of plans.

"Go on, mate. I'll catch up to you later," Ron told him absently before turning back to Seamus, Dean, Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley. Ron was once again regaling them with the story of what had happened under the lake, and Harry had to smile; Ron's story was gradually changing with each retelling. Not that Harry would begrudge his friend the limelight. After all, it took the heat off of Harry for the time being.

He walked through the open door to the classroom and made his way to his godmother's office.

"Hullo, Harry." Rinna looked up with a smile. "Ron doesn't need you for crowd control, does he?"

Harry grinned. "Noticed that, did you? Nah, he's fine."

"You don't mind?" she asked casually.

"Me? No!" Harry shook his head emphatically. "I rather like having some breathing room for a change."

Rinna gestured to a seat. "Speaking of breathing, there is something I need to speak to you about right away." Something in her tone made Harry shift uncomfortably. "Where did you get the gillyweed, Harry?"

His mind kicked into high gear as he prepared to invent a plausible story. "Er—"

"The reason I ask—I'm not trying to get you or anyone else in trouble—is that Professor Snape is under the impression that you took it from his stores." She eyed him shrewdly. "I know you had the means, with your cloak and the Marauder's Map—"

"You know about the Map?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Please. With whom have I been all weekend?"

Harry looked abashed. "Right." He ran his hand through his hair nervously, deciding that honesty was the best policy when dealing with his godmother—at least in this instance. "I didn't take it, Rinna. I was given it, by a, er, a friend."

"A friend?"

"I'd rather not say who. It's a house elf, you see, and I don't want him to get in trouble." Harry looked at her pleadingly.

She studied him intently. "All right. I believe you. And I didn't call you in here for a lecture on pilfering. I wanted to warn you that Professor Snape believes you to be a thief, and will be looking to make your life miserable. So regardless of whatever advantage your cloak and map give you, I recommend you lay low for a while."

She smiled at him, to Harry's relief. He was glad she wasn't upset with him. He wondered how she would have felt if he actually _had_ taken the gillyweed from Snape. "Thanks," he said pensively, "but I don't have any intention of taking anything from Snape, and besides, I don't have the Marauder's Map anymore."

Rinna looked slightly alarmed. "You don't? What happened to it?"

"Oh, I gave it to Professor Moody. He kept it from falling into Snape's hands, you see, and then told me he wanted to borrow it. Said it'd be dead useful."

"Moody, huh?" Her brow furrowed. "Yes, I suppose he would find it quite useful, wouldn't he?" She tapped her lower lip thoughtfully before returning her gaze to Harry. "At any rate, watch yourself around the Potions Professor, Harry."

"I will. Thanks for the warning, Rinna." He cocked his head curiously. "How did Snape—"

"_Professor_ Snape, Harry."

"How did Professor Snape know the gillyweed was gone?"

Rinna's lips twitched. "Because he went to fetch it out of the cupboard that morning for me; I was to use the gillyweed during the Triwizard task. I had to resort to the Bubble-Head Charm instead."

Harry ducked his head so he wouldn't laugh at the ironic expression on her face. "Sorry. Rotten luck for you, wasn't it?"

"Believe me, dearest godson, I did not begrudge you one slimy tendril of it," she told him with a chuckle. Harry looked up and saw the twinkle of mischief in her eye, and joined in her laughter.

* * *

Sirius stood in the doorway surveying the bedroom before resting his eyes on the bed. It had been three long days since she'd been there; the last time she'd been on that bed she'd been tangled in the sheets, flushed from lovemaking, and annoyed he wasn't taking her latest news well.

"_What do you mean, three to four weeks?"_

"_I'll try to slip away for an evening or an afternoon," she temporized._

"_Bloody hell, Rinna! It's going to be six weeks before we can have Harry here for Easter hols, and now you're telling me I can't even see you for almost a month? What the hell am I supposed to do?"_

_She sprang from the bed, pulling the sheet with her and wrapping it around her body angrily. "I'm not exactly thrilled about this either, Sirius! I get lonely too, you know! I miss being able to sleep with you wrapped around me, or talking about Harry, or rowing about ridiculous things."_

_Growing contrite, he came up behind her and slipped his arms across her shoulders and chest. "Don't forget making up and shagging after we row about ridiculous things," he said softly._

_She snorted. "Typical man. Is that all you think about?"_

_He could hear the smile in her voice taking the sting from her words. "Well, yes. Thinking of sex with you takes up quite a bit of my time when you're away, as a matter of fact." He turned her around. "I was denied that for too long, and now that I've had a taste of it again…"_

_She sighed. "It's bloody unfair." She rested her forehead on his collarbone. "I've been thinking. What if I return to Hogwarts with a new familiar? I could talk to Albus—"_

"_And have a big black mutt roaming the castle, frightening the ickle firsties into thinking they've seen the Grim? I don't think Dumbledore would go for that." He gave a big sigh. "And even if he did, you are forgetting about Snivellus."_

_Rinna's head snapped up. "What about Snape?"_

"_He knows I'm an illegal Animagus. He was standing there in the Shack under Harry's Invisibility Cloak while Moony and I explained everything to the kids."_

_She gritted her teeth. "Damn. He'll put it together right away. And he'd have no compunction about turning you in, either."_

_Sirius couldn't help looking smug. "I hear that he didn't take it very well—having the Order of Merlin for capturing me slip through his fingers at my untimely escape from Hogwarts. He might indeed be holding a grudge against me."_

_Rinna exhaled in frustration. "Why couldn't you two have settled your differences by having a pissing contest or whatnot like other normal teenaged boys did? You just had to go and make an enemy of him instead."_

_He stiffened. "I wasn't the one who made the enemy," he said fiercely, before shutting his mouth at her piercing glance. Rinna did not know—would not know, _ever_—about the words Snape had spoken that made Sirius angry past the point of caring that he was sending a boy straight to the jaws of a slavering werewolf. It had been an immature reaction, he knew, but even now the memory ignited a furious, irrational rage in him._

_He raised a hand to her lips to stop her questions, and schooled his face to his charming smile. "If I'd known that the consequences were years later I would be looking at long weeks without sex or your smile, I might have acted differently." He saw her eyebrow quirk, and knew he'd deflected her—for the moment._

_Her hand glided across his jaw and into his hair. "See? It _is_ all you think about."_

"_Can't help it, love," he pointed out. "You're naked, and in my arms."_

It seemed the entire weekend had been spent arguing. Small things, like how often the purple concoction needed to be applied to her cuts or whether the kitchen knives should be stored in the block sharp side up or sharp side down. Big spats over Snape, or Sirius leaving the house as Snuffles, and why she needed to be on school premises to brew her potion for Dumbledore.

Arguments, and sex. It had been brilliant. And Sirius missed it terribly. He missed _her_ terribly.

He glanced down at the parchment in his hand—Harry's reply to his inquiry of the next Hogsmeade dates. He had just over a week; plenty of time to get there. He walked to the living room, made sure the letter for Remus and the letter he would ask his friend to mail to his fiancée were clearly visible on the desk, and shouldered the knapsack he'd shrunk to a manageable size.

The time he'd spent here at Rinna's house, following years of deprivation in Azkaban, had taught him that he really needed companionship. He needed his family. Harry and Rinna were his family, and if they couldn't be with him, well then, he'd just have to go to them, wouldn't he?

A large black dog (wearing something that looked like one of those packs one would see on a service dog for a disabled person) stepped out of the doggie door and took off trotting down the street, never once stopping or looking back.

* * *

**A/N: (clears throat, nervously noting a big empty echo) Are any of my readers still there? Or have you given up on me? Not that I'd blame you. Merlin's baggy y-fronts! Real Life has been sucking all my time away and kept me from my writing. My WIP stories feel like a forgotten mistress. (Pets poor neglected stories) But if you are still here, please drop me a note telling me so and let me know what you thought of this chapter. I'm feeling the need for forgiveness and absolution of my lack-of-posting sins.**

**_Attonitus_:** stunned or thunderstruck in Latin

_**Napadnik:**_ boyfriend in Czech. Bulgarian is in Cyrillic alphabet, which I can't read. Czech is the closest I could get to Bulgarian, because I have some familiarity with it. If anyone wants to tell me the Bulgarian word for boyfriend, I would love to be corrected!


End file.
